by Kitty Margo
He brushed a soft curl from her face with a tender hand. “It is a pity, really. When Suzanne desires something, she surmounts all obstacles to have it. You should be more like her in that aspect, if nothing more.”
“Pray tell, enlighten me, sir. What precisely is it that I desire?”
“Me, of course.”
“Of all the nerve! You, sir, are a vile cad, a blackguard, and worse, a conceited imbecile.” Thus said, she left him grinning like the vain cretin he was and raced into the house without a backward glance.
The following morning before daybreak, a rider arrived with an urgent missive from the neighboring plantation owned by Thomas Morehead. A fire had swept through the main house and several slave cabins. Thomas Morehead had perished, and at least five of his slaves had been severely burned. The rider was unsure how many others had lost their lives. Silas took every available man and rushed to the plantation, with Mary and Judith accompanying them to care for the injured.
With her aunt still caring for the burn victims at the Morehead plantation, Lynna entered their quiet house alone that night, with a strong sense of foreboding. Something was awry, but what? Entering the kitchen, her apprehension proved correct. Her uncle sat at the table, slouched in a drunken stupor, with an empty whiskey bottle in his hand. She had smelled him, a combination of liquor and unwashed body, even before seeing him.
Hearing her approach, he glanced up with angry, bloodshot eyes, and his hand shook as he pointed to the cold stove. “Why ain't you got supper cooking, you lazy, good for nothing wench? I been keeping you up for the last three years and you cannot even keep a pot boiling on the stove! Where’s my wife?”’
“There was a fire,” Lynna answered stonily. “She is at the Morehead plantation helping to nurse the injured.”
“Well, do something besides spread your legs for the son of the wealthy plantation owner and fix me something to eat!”
The desire to turn tail and run was strong in Lynna, but knowing that would give him too much satisfaction, she stood her ground. When she failed to respond quickly enough to his order, he leapt from his chair, sending it crashing to the floor. “Don’t just stand there when I tell you to do something, girl! Get busy and fix me some damned supper!”
“Fix your own damn supper!” Lynna gritted through clenched teeth. She was fed up with his constant demands and abuse. She was beyond fed up with everything about the drunkard, in fact. If he ate tonight, it would be food prepared by his own hand.
For having the impudence to disobey his direct order, Tobias slapped her so hard she stumbled backward and landed hard on her bottom. Thankfully, this time her aunt was not home, and Lynna did not have to worry about protecting her. Glancing around for a weapon, she spied her aunt’s sewing basket with a large pair of sharp scissors on the table and made the error of eyeing the scissors covetously. Tobias saw where her eyes lingered and wheezed with harsh laughter before sweeping the basket to the ground, scattering its contents to the other side of the room. “When did you grow a backbone, you little tramp?”
She had to find another weapon, and quick! His empty whiskey bottle was on the table between them, but she refused to look at it. She would not make that mistake again. Lynna stood up slowly and painfully. “I have no coin, so you might as well leave.”
He licked his lips in a sickening manner, with his gaze fixed firmly on her heaving breasts. “I ain’t leaving here without some recompense for my journey.”
That was all the impetus she needed! Lunging for the bottle, she grabbed it before he could, and with all of her energy, swung it toward his face. Whiskey dribbled down her arm as she made a full circle before coming to a startling halt. Even drunk, he had dodged the bottle.
Chuckling, he advanced around the table with a wicked gleam in his eyes and a wide grin splitting his face, as his fist connected with her jaw with such force that she saw stars and nothing more.
Lynna came to through a haze of blinding pain. She lay absolutely still, listening for any sound or sign he was still in the house. Hearing nothing, she stood slowly, grabbing for the wall as the room spun around her. When the vertigo had passed, she moved to her room and paused before her mirror. Tears filled her eyes and she grimaced at her bruised and grossly swollen face, the same face she had seen so many times in the past. The bruises from his previous attack had only begun to fade.
Hot tears rolled down her swollen cheeks as she gave vent to her misery. She was so alone, so frightened and miserable, with neither the will nor strength to continue fighting. She just wanted to go home. Back to France, where she was pampered and spoiled, and no one would dare lift a hand to her. But that was out of the question, since her father had undoubtedly forgotten she even existed.
When was her aunt coming home, anyway? She dried her sniffles and remembered her promise to help Jasmine make blackberry cobber the following morning. She could not go up to the big house looking like this, but how could she possibly endure another week of forced confinement?
Hoping to force her misery to the back of her mind, if only momentarily, she prepared a hot bath. After heating the water and filling the tub, she sighed blissfully as the heat penetrated her tired, aching body. She soaked until her skin was a glowing pink, then dried off and slipped into a sleeveless pink nightgown cut low and gathered under her breast. It was too hot for anything else. The cotton was soft and cool against her heated skin as it enveloped her abused body. Seated at her dressing table, she was lost in troubled thought as she brushed her hair until it shone and fell in rippling waves over her shoulders.
By the time she went to bed, feeling miserable and defeated, she had convinced herself that the only solution to her wretched life was to wed Daniel. She would never be lonely again. Daniel loved her, of that she was certain, and, as he had told her so many times in the past, she would grow to love him given time. If she married Daniel, she could move her aunt into the big house, so Tobias could never torment either of them again. The Fletchers would hire another seamstress and her aunt could relax and enjoy her golden years in peace. It was the perfect solution. She closed her eyes, not blissfully happy at the notion, but satisfied that she had arrived at a decision that would be agreeable for all concerned.
A few hours later, she was startled from a deep sleep by a noise in her room. A cool breeze caused the curtains to flutter and she wondered if that was the sound that had awakened her. Fear gnawed at her, as she worried that her uncle had not left after all. Peeking from swollen eyes, she gasped to find Joshua standing over her, holding a candle, with a look of stark horror on his face. What was he doing here?
“I had a feeling… that… you needed me. Just tell me who did it?” His voice was cold as ice and filled with rage. “That is all I ask of you, Lynna. Please! Tell me who did this to you.”
She could not tell him the truth, no matter how much anguish her uncle had caused her. She knew Joshua would search until he found him and end his deplorable life. For this she would be grateful beyond measure, she felt nothing but deep hatred for her uncle. But she could not tolerate the notion of Joshua rotting in a damp, dark, and filthy jail cell for avenging her.
“Lynna,” he spoke softly, too softly. “Please tell me.”
“I cannot!” she cried brokenly. “Please, do not ask me! I cannot!”
He desperately wanted to tell her he already knew it was her own uncle who was abusing her. But he did not admit it, knowing the humiliation it would cause her. He vowed to find the deviant and take great pleasure in watching his life’s blood drain away. If he departed immediately, perhaps he could apprehend him before he left the taverns. He turned to leave, but hearing her softly speak his name, his stern resolve deserted him.
“Please! Do not leave me alone, Joshua. I beg of you! Just hold me.”
Seeing the tears glistening on her bruised and swollen cheeks, he placed the candle on a table and gently drew her into his arms. As he tenderly brushed away the tears, she shrank from the pain his gentle touch
caused, but said nothing. She never complained. His heart went out to the poor girl who had withstood so much abuse. Joshua blamed himself for a portion of that pain. Overwhelmed by the love and tenderness he felt for her, he comforted her as he had the night of Malcolm's savage attack.
Lynna nestled deeper into the warm security of his strong arms, where she felt so safe and protected. No harm could befall her as long as these powerful arms held her close. If she married Daniel tomorrow, at least she had this night to remember.
Joshua knew what would happen if he stayed, but wondered if she was fully cognizant of what she was requesting. “Are you asking me to stay with you, Lynna?”
“Yes, Joshua,” she murmured, reaching out to him. “I cannot be alone tonight.”
He needed no more encouragement than that. His strong yet gentle arms gathered her even closer as his whispered words found her ears. “You are safe now, Lynna,” he breathed against her hair. “No one will hurt you ever again, I swear.”
These arms were the only safety she needed, now and forever. She buried her head in his broad chest and sobbed until his words soothed her fears. Lifting her face, their lips met in a tender, all consuming kiss that she prayed never to end. Forgetting the pain and humiliation, she permitted her mind to fill with the nearness of him, the smell, and feel of him.
As she snuggled against him, Joshua cradled her head with his hands, and holding her against his hard, lean body, gave her one last opportunity to change her mind. “Are you certain this is what you want, Lynna?” He did not want her to have regrets, or throw his actions in his face tomorrow.
For answer, she slipped her hands around his neck and drew his lips down to hers, leaving no doubt in his mind. His tongue explored every cranny of her mouth, lighting fires in her stomach that warmed her entire body. Her head rolled limply on the pillow as his fiery kisses trailed down her neck. Then taking her hands, he pulled her up and stood her to face him.
Joshua had waited so long to feel her soft supple body against his and had nightly dreams of allowing his hands and lips to roam at will over her creamy, delectable flesh. Yet, he must not frighten her. So, with Herculean effort, he forced himself to slow down. Slipping the thin nightgown over her head, the sight of her full, satiny breasts was almost his undoing. She was so lovely, a treasure he must possess, again and again. But he vowed he would kill any other man who tried.
This revelation shocked him to the core, but he did not take time to ponder it as he cupped her firm, young breasts. His eyes closed blissfully as she leaned her head back, unaware of the world going on around them, aware only of each other and the intense passion they shared.
His hands gently kneaded the soft mounds as he watched the play of emotions, the doubt that registered briefly, and then the wonderment on her angelic face. Sitting down on the bed, he pulled her to stand between his legs, banking his own desire, wanting their second time to be as perfect as the first.
Lynna watched with unabashed anticipation as his mouth sprinkled light kisses on the tender underside of her breast, down over her flat stomach, and over the sloping curve of her hips. The sweet torture was almost unbearable when at last his lips kissed their way back to her breast. His touch caused the fire in her stomach to shift to a throbbing ache demanding release as his tongue danced hot circles around her breast. Her body went limp as the creamy skin on her slim neck flushed and she gave vent to her rising lust.
Joshua glanced up, and at the sight of so much raw passion surging through her, knew he could deny himself no longer. Lifting her in his arms, he gently lowered her to the bed, permitting his eyes to travel slowly, getting his fill of her exquisite beauty before joining her.
Low moans of pleasure escaped Lynna’s throat as his hot kisses traveled over her taut stomach and she was left breathless when they reached the very core of her being, causing her to gasp and clutch handfuls of his hair. Her body arched as his lips brought a return of the ecstasy she remembered so well, taking her over the edge and finally igniting the all-consuming fire that had simmered since the night in the cabin onboard his ship.
Their eyes met and Joshua gave her a knowing smile as she reached for him, desperate to feel him inside her. He lowered his body, careful not to put his entire weight on her slender frame. Then his lips found hers, washing all fear from her mind until he knew she was ready, until she opened herself body and soul to receive him, all of him.
Joshua held his breath as he entered her slowly, savoring her sleek, moist warmth. He wanted her so badly, but she was making him forget his purpose, which was revenge on Tobias, and that was something he would never do. Yet, he could place it on hold for a few hours, while satisfying his desire for the enchanting creature beneath him. Placing his hands underneath her buttocks, he pressed his full manhood into her silky warmth and she cried out his name. Her hips met him thrust for thrust, more urgent still until her body once again found the sweet release it so coveted and she cried with joy. As her muscles contracted around him, he knew he had succeeded in making her forget, as well.
“You are in my blood, Lynna,” he whispered huskily. “I will never get my fill of you. I want you with me now and forever.”
Happiness swelled within her at his words. He wanted her with him…forever? That could only mean one thing. He wanted to marry her, finally make her his wife. She would never be alone again, and she would not have to settle for marrying Daniel, a wonderful man, but one she did not love. Her heart almost burst with joy as Joshua joined her in the exquisite rapture.
Later that night, with their passion sated for the moment, Joshua held her close as moonlight filtered through the open window, casting a golden hue over their glistening bodies. She sighed contentedly, nestling closer to the man who had reawakened her body to the miracle of love. She felt no shame or remorse, only love. Love? The realization that she loved him struck her like a bolt of lightning from the heavens. She loved him! He was the man she had been waiting for all along. He was a part of her and had been for the past three years. Nothing could separate them.
“Come back to Charleston with me,” he breathed as his lips caressed her bare shoulder. “I will not leave you here alone to suffer the abuse of a madman.”
Without thinking, she blurted, “He will not return tonight.”
“Who will not return? Tell me, Lynna! Please?”
“I cannot, Joshua. Please, do not ask me. I beg of you.” She turned away from him in shame.
Why she was protecting her uncle was beyond Joshua’s scope of understanding, but he would not demand an answer. She had her reasons for keeping it a secret and when she was ready, she would tell him. He lifted a wisp of golden hair and twirled its softness around his finger, rubbing it against his cheek as he breathed in the fragrance of heather. He fancied he could look right through those clear blue mirrors into her soul and discover her every emotion. Her small perfect nose and soft sensuous lips together formed a face that was destined to forever haunt him.
He bent to kiss her, not content to just look, and once again rekindled the flame. The two lovers explored each other’s bodies most thoroughly, and when at last they came together as one, Lynna was stunned to find her pleasure as great as before. To her astonishment, the sweet bliss wrapped her body in a web of warmth and fulfillment that left her breathless and spent.
Joshua rolled to his back, pulling her atop him. “Sleep now, my love.” Lynna buried her head against the soft fur of his chest and drifted to a contented sleep with her fingers gently entwined in his raven locks. He watched her as she slept, lightly touching the vivid bruise. A murderous fury assailed him as he thought of the great joy he would derive from paying the bastard back who had inflicted such pain on her. And he would indeed pay!
When he at last closed his eyes, it was not the peaceful sleep of the one he held so close, instead it was a fitful sleep. He was squandering time. He should be on the road at this very minute, searching for Tobias, but the desire to be with Lynna was stronger. He snuggled
closer in his sleep and breathed a contented sigh.
Dawn was fast approaching when the lovers awakened in each other’s arms. Joshua was somewhat wary, wondering if the morning would bring with it a shift in her feelings. But his worries were for naught, for Lynna felt secure in the knowledge that they would soon be betrothed. Watching him watch her for several minutes, she moistened her lips, threw one leg over his hips, and climbed provocatively atop him. Joshua held his breath as her succulent mouth lowered to his, realizing that the little minx was enjoying the power she held over him. Her soft tongue mingled with his, sending delicious shivers rushing through him. She was a fast learner, having changed from a hesitant young girl to a woman in full bloom overnight, very much aware of her needs.
Joshua had felt a slight aversion toward forward women in the past. Not so with Lynna. He would gladly lay passive, if possible, while she led the way. He wanted everything she had to give, and then some.
After a long, lingering kiss, while rubbing the tips of her breast against his chest until he thought he might go mad with desire, she moved to her side and pulled him to face her. Joshua marveled at her sensual behavior as she draped her right leg over his hip and pressed her soft flesh against his firm torso, but his body surged with white hot fire when she reached her cool hand down to guide him into her warm, dewy body. He entered her slowly, hearing her gasp as he buried deep inside her.
Lynna’s hips moved in the age-old rhythm of love, carrying Joshua almost to the brink, but he wanted more. Easing her onto her back, he rolled atop her to penetrate more fully as she moved to meet his every thrust. There was no time for words as their lips touched, carrying them to a magical place where time did not exist.
Sometime toward morning, after a brief nap, Lynna gazed into his devilishly handsome face and winked seductively.