by Sahara Kelly
Minnie swallowed. “I think so.”
Pierce looked at her. There was something in her voice that made a chill run down his spine. “What do you mean?”
She carefully put her glass down on the table and folded her hands. “I wasn’t put in a crate, Pierce. There was a reason for that, I was told. The man who originally took me? He left before the tender. Gone back to his hole in Yarmouth perhaps, or wherever he was from. I don’t know. But before he left, he made it clear I wasn’t going to survive for much longer. People who stick their noses in other people’s business never do, he said.”
Pierce clenched his teeth and covered her hands with his own. “I have a score to settle with that man. He will not go unpunished, you can be assured of that.” His fingers tightened on hers. “Go on.”
“I wasn’t going to be part of their shipment of women. I was going to the captain of the freighter. And from there, according to this man, straight to hell.”
“So the captain took his pick and when he was done…”
Minnie nodded. “Yes.”
“Dear God.” Felicia paled. “Dear God in heaven.”
“Well.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “Thankfully, Pierce’s Black Fish was equipped to deal with the matter.” She opened her eyes again and glanced at him. “Fireworks, indeed.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Well, they did make a rather nice bang, didn’t they?”
She rolled her eyes. “If you’d warned me that you had some kind of phosphorus-magnesium-whatever explosive device on board…”
“I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
“Didn’t want to look silly if it didn’t work, more like.” She snorted as a smile curved her lips.
“You know me so well.”
“It accomplished its goal, that’s the main thing.” Dusk nodded. “Last message from the Navy was that they were attempting to rescue survivors of the fire. Thus far, they’d recovered four men, none of them the captain. I, for one, sincerely hope he went down with his ship.”
“Hear hear.” Felicia raised her glass. “Any word on the others?”
“Don’t know.” Pierce shook his head. “If they had Godolphin under surveillance, they’ve probably been in the cave by now. Who knows what they’ll find in there, if anything?”
“No sign that they saw the Black Fish?”
Pierce glanced up at Dusk’s question. He alone would truly understand the risk of getting the government involved, since he’d been instrumental in keeping the entire project a secret for most of its life.
“No. I think we’re safe for now.” Pierce thought for a moment or two. “Or at least until they realize that the tender couldn’t have exploded like that on its own.”
“Perhaps they never will.”
“Fingers crossed,” said Pierce. “Now. Who’s for another bottle of wine?”
It was much later when a tired Minnie was half-carried up the stairs by a cheerfully intoxicated Pierce.
He rested them both against the bed and leaned his forehead against hers. “By the way, I’m half mad in love with you, you know.”
“Are you?” She lifted a hand to his face and caressed it, smiling as he turned his head and kissed it, tickling her palm with his tongue. “You’re drunk.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Maybe a little tipsy, but mostly very happy.”
“Me too.” She sighed as his arms encircled her, and his hands slipped down to cup her bottom.
“Can we get you out of all these clothes?”
“Will you keep me warm? I’m still a bit chilled.”
“Hmm.” He freed her from the first sweater, pulling it over her head. “I shall have to think about that.”
“Please do.” She unfastened the buttons on his shirt.
“I’m sure I can come up with something.” The second sweater flew to the floor.
“Well, I think you might have done that already.” Her hands were pressing against the bulge in the front of his trousers. “Come up with something, I mean.”
“I was so frightened tonight, Minnie.” He undid her skirt and pushed it down over her hips. “So very afraid I was going to lose you.”
“I was scared too, Pierce. But I knew, deep in my heart, that you’d come for me.” She lifted his shirt and slid her palms against his warmth. He was heat and strength and love…all bundled into one incredibly attractive package.
“I would have done whatever it took to find you, sweetheart.” Her blouse fell away, leaving her breasts bare, her nipples tightening as he stared at her with passion in his gaze.
“I know. That’s what kept me going. Kept me focused and clearheaded enough to do what had to be done.”
He shrugged out of his shirt and by mutual consent they moved to each other, sharing a sigh as their skin touched, soft breasts met hard chest, and hands pushed away the remnants of their garments.
“I want to keep you like this. Naked.” Pierce shifted against her, rubbing her, almost like a cat scenting his possession. “I want you in my arms and in my bed. Not out there running risks, walking into danger and damn near stopping my heart.”
She hugged him close, brushing the softness of her belly over his growing arousal. “I like that idea. Staying naked with you for the rest of our lives.” She chuckled. “Not terribly practical though.”
“No?” He tumbled them back on the bed and then whipped the quilt and the covers around, tucking them both inside a cocoon that soon heated up. The fact that he was stroking her spine and squeezing her buttocks might have had something to do with the heat level as well. “We could manage, I daresay.”
Her pulse was throbbing, not only in her veins but in her loins, especially where Pierce was touching her, rubbing his hardness along her nether lips, gently encouraging her ready moisture to well up and out, bathing his cock and making them both moan a little with the sheer pleasure of it.
“Minnie, I want to love you like you should be loved. I want to spend hours at your breasts and another day or so heading down to the heaven between your thighs. And when I get there…”
She moaned and kissed him, lifting her leg high and throwing it over his hip. “For God’s sake, Pierce…” she muttered into his mouth. “Don’t talk so much. Take me. I want you inside me, right this minute. Fuck me, darling. I can’t say it plainer than that.”
Lost for words, Pierce simply did as he was told.
He slipped into Minnie’s velvet fire and she held her breath, knowing—at that moment—that this was what she’d waited for. That Pierce wasn’t just part of her body, he was part of her heart and her soul.
She’d given him her physical passion, then her trust. Now all she had left to give him was…
“I love you, Pierce.”
He moved, sliding in and out, building the fire that was always there between them. She moaned, loving the way he fit, the feel of him entering her and then sliding back only to thrust in again. He turned her so that he was above her, pushing away the covers and repositioning her, his hands beneath her buttocks, her thighs over his shoulders.
He was deep, very deep, each thrust going so far inside she wondered if he was truly touching her soul.
Spread-eagled as she was, her most sensitive places were wide open to sensation, to the tugging of his cock as it penetrated her and to the soft brush of his fingertips as she began to pant and climb to her peak.
He knew, clever man. His hips eased their pace as his hands moved more quickly, his powerful thrusts timed to coincide with his touch on her clitoris. It was insane madness, unspeakable bliss and she found herself surrendering to her orgasm almost before she realized it was on her.
She cried out then, cried his name, her hands reaching for him, her mind flying off somewhere far beyond the lights of the Brass Pluggit.
And he was with her, buried to his balls, his body pressed hard against hers, throbbing as he emptied himself into her, filling her, and yes—completing her.
It was not complex, nor ath
letic. It was quick and over much too soon.
But as they tumbled into a heap, limp and sated, Minnie wondered if she’d ever be loved that way again. And realized she probably wouldn’t.
It had been the moment when she knew destiny sat next to her on the bed. The moment when she knew that not only did she love this man, but that he was her mate and there would be no other man in her life who would ever be as important.
And this man, this overwhelming loving presence who she so adored, tucked his face into her neck and snored.
She shifted and giggled, waking him a little. “Move over. I need the cover.” She tugged the quilt over them both.
“I’ll get a bigger bed when we’re married.”
She paused. “We’re getting married?”
“Yes.” He turned over. “Of course we are. You’re pregnant.” And he went to sleep.
Leaving a rather confused Minnie lying beside him…wondering…
Epilogue
“Have you heard from Felicia?” Minnie looked up as Pierce walked into the living room and glanced at the sun dancing on the waves.
“Not since they arrived in London.” He shook his head. “I’m sure she and Dusk are doing fine.”
“Hmm.” Minnie frowned. Dusk and Felicia had been overjoyed to stand up for them at the wedding, which had taken place within a fortnight of the whole Godolphin business. But since they’d chosen to honeymoon at the Pluggit, the other couple had elected to return to London and take care of some of Felicia’s business matters while allowing the newlyweds the privacy of an isolated lighthouse on the coast of the Isle of Wight. It didn’t get much more private than that.
They would return, but as of now there’d been a definite scarcity of communication.
“Besides, they know we’re on our honeymoon.” Pierce grinned over the newspaper he’d brought with him. “I’m sure they think we’re spending all our time in bed, naked, doing terribly depraved things to each other.”
She laughed. “Terribly depraved?”
“Definitely.”
“Didn’t we cover terribly depraved things last Tuesday?”
“Yes, but I think we might have missed a couple.”
“Oh?” Minnie tried to keep the note of curiosity out of her voice, but clearly failed, since Pierce walked over, stood behind her chair and slid his palms down to cup her breasts.
He leaned over and kissed her upside down. “And even if we didn’t miss anything, I’m more than willing to go over them again. Just in case.”
She sighed with delight. “Me too.”
“Oh, by the way, there’s a short article in the London paper about some ship blowing up in the Solent.”
Minnie closed her eyes as Pierce’s fingers found their way beneath her shirt to bare skin. “Really?”
“Yes.” He toyed with her in the way he’d discovered turned her insides to jelly. “And I’m sad to say that a certain M.P. is resigning his seat in Parliament.”
“How sad.”
“He’s retiring to the country.”
“Good for him. He should stay there if he’s smart.” Minnie moved a little, making sure Pierce’s hands covered all the right places.
“Given the rumors of his financial problems, I think he will.”
“That’s nice.” She definitely wasn’t paying attention to his words. His touch was all she could concentrate on at the moment.
“Mmm.” He spread the sides of her blouse apart, letting the sunshine dapple her bare skin. “It is indeed.”
“No mention of anything we need worry about, Dr. Lowell?” Her hands came up to cover his, pressing them against her tender breasts.
“Not a damn thing, Mrs. Lowell. Not a damn thing…” He sighed with pleasure at her tiny moan. “Now, about a name for our son…”
About the Author
Born and raised in England, Sahara Kelly now calls herself an American, but manages to keep in touch with her heritage by making sausage rolls and watching the occasional rerun of Blackadder. Her family understands—being partial to a bit of British food now and again—and also appreciates the fact that she disappears into her own world for extended periods of time. Writers tend to do that, she tells them. And Sahara knows she’s blessed to be able to do what she loves—write! Genres are fields through which she dances merrily, pausing for a contemporary, then moving on to a fantasy or two with a wave to historicals if the wind is in the right direction.
There’s always something cooking on her hard drive (besides those sausage rolls), and she’s thrilled to have found a new field to play in—Steampunk! With a grown family, Sahara now has plenty of time to explore the written word and indulge herself in plot, characters, passion and desire. The many books in her backlist have taught her some of the steps to this literary dance, but she’s continually challenged by a new pattern or rhythm. For her, it’s a symphony she hopes will continue unabated. And she loves to share the experience with her readers.
You can write to her at [email protected] or find out more at:
www.saharakelly.com
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myspace.com/saharakelly
Look for these titles by Sahara Kelly
Now Available:
Flavia’s Flying Corset
Coming Soon:
The Facilitator
Love lifted her heart to the skies. The rest of her needed a little more help.
Flavia’s Flying Corset
© 2010 Sahara Kelly
A Silk, Steel and Steam Story
When Flavia Winters enters the aerial carriage that will convey her across churning waters to the magnificent, isolated castle of Dr. Harland Gennaro, it’s not a polite social call. Nor does she hope to re-ignite their former passion. Oh, no. She’s convinced the renowned scientist stole something of value from her lab, and she plans to get it back by whatever means necessary.
Once Harland blinks away the temporary blindness caused by Flavia’s clever magnesium beads, he finds himself tied to a chair as she insists he return a vital ingredient for some impossibility called “Icarus”. Then she demonstrates with the last of her compound, and all he can think about is convincing her he’s not the guilty party—and getting into the lab with her to recreate her gravity-defying wonder.
Side by side, they burn the midnight oil making new discoveries, and re-learning old ones about each other. As an ocean storm rises with their desire, though, skullduggery is afoot. A thief watches and waits for the moment they make a discovery that could be their last.
Warning: Reading this book may stimulate an interest in the principles of physics, aerodynamics and the science of sexual arousal. The author is not responsible for any injury incurred while investigating all three topics simultaneously.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Flavia’s Flying Corset:
Harland prided himself on the efficiency of his unique home, in fact he’d put several years worth of thought into the additional design elements. Thus he was able to provide a suitable meal to start the day. At least he thought it was suitable. Tea, of course. Toast, not too badly burned. Some marmalade Mountjoy had recommended and he’d approved. Of course, he had a suspicion that Mountjoy was walking out with the marmalade maker, but that was his business, not Harland’s.
The butter was cool, as was the milk for tea. Harland’s icebox system was one of his many accomplishments. The use of the largest local resource—the ocean and its salty water—combined with an ingenious extraction and circulation pump, well it worked quite well. He was proud of it.
Setting the dishes on the table in front of the windows, he wondered what Flavia would think about it. Then she walked in and he forgot everything he’d planned on asking her.
Glowing skin, hair soft and falling down a little here and there—she was a vision from his dreams. Her smile lit a fire in his breeches, an occurrence that seemed to be part of his every waking minute since she’d stepped onto Roma
n Rock and back into his life. Even in the more casual attire she’d chosen, she was the answer to his every sensual dream.
He had a very difficult time not going to her, stripping her free of those clothes and taking her all over again on the Axminster rug. Perhaps from behind again, her buttocks white and round, begging for the touch of his hand, his mouth, his teeth—
“Oh, lovely. Tea. Just what I need.”
Well, it wasn’t exactly a rousing endorsement for sex on the carpet. He gave himself a mental smack and just smiled. “I’m glad. We need to discuss some matters.”
“Yes. The plan.” She seated herself and glanced out of the window. “It’s very thick, isn’t it? The fog?”
He didn’t even bother looking, just set the toast rack near enough for her to reach and popped a small spoon into the marmalade jar. “Not unusual for this time of year. It may clear later, if the wind picks up a bit.”
Such mundane conversation, he mused. As if they hadn’t been naked and intimate such a short time ago.
“So tell me.” She bit down on a slice of toast. “You want to recreate Icarus.”
He nodded. “I do. That’s the first part of the plan. Simultaneously, I want to spread the word of what we’re doing.”
She tilted her head and watched him as he poured the tea. “How? Why?”
“The how is easy.” He gestured to the communications machine. “I’ll simply send a message to a few friends that you’ve honored me with your presence and that we’re working together on an exciting project you’ve developed.”
“And rumors will spread.”
“I hope so.” He nodded again. “The only person whose attention will be thoroughly intrigued should be the person who knows what you’ve been creating. Anybody else will simply think it’s just another scientific collaboration and not devote much interest to it.”
“It’s bait, isn’t it? Designed to lure the thief here perhaps?”