“What does ‘fuck’ mean—oh!”
With slow, controlled movement, he slid his rock-hard cock into her ripe, juicy channel. A flash of heat erupted from the point of contact. His pubic hair rubbed pleasantly against her bare bottom with every pass. The more he thrust, the harder he became. His fingers dug into her flesh as he claimed her. The inventor began fucking her faster. His balls slapped against her with every sharp plunge he took.
Elena cried out in delight. He felt warm, hard and slick all at the same time. They were hot flesh against hot flesh in the most intimate way possible.
This was a discovery of epic proportions. How many people knew the human body held such hidden riches? She was an educated woman and attended Church regularly. With all of that exposure to historical texts, why had she not learned of this before? Something so amazing could not possibly be wrong.
He smoothed a palm down her spine as he moved into her. “There, are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes,” she choked out.
The inventor, at least, had been willing to share his carnal knowledge with her. She felt a sudden, strong surge of affection for him. She very much wanted the feeling to become permanent within her heart. What were the chances he might develop the same feeling for her?
“Do you like it this way?” he said, slowing his pace. He slid in and out with devastating restraint. “Or like this?” Then he suddenly drove into her, pummeling her hard and fast.
Her breasts swung wildly about. The man was so strong she could barely maintain her position. Elena squeezed the blanket beneath her hands. “Heaven help me, but I want it every way you can give it to me!”
They moaned in unison. She raised her hips higher and tilted her torso forward, all the better to give him the ultimate access. Daniel’s shaft lengthened by the second. Where he was iron, she was feathery softness. He speared her again and again, the force of his thrusts filling her to completion.
Lost in a haze of euphoria, her thoughts drifted to the devices he’d used on her earlier. She’d very much enjoyed them. Though nothing compared to the feel of Daniel’s heated skin against her own, she contemplated incorporating the devices into their union. Could they do all of it at once? She wanted to explore everything with this man. The vibrating cones massaging her breasts. The stimulating egg device clamped between her legs. His cock filling her mouth, the mechanical phallus pumping away inside her at the same time…
A burst of hot bliss sizzled inside her, catapulting her to paradise. “Oh, yes!” she panted. “It’s happening again!”
“What is?” the inventor ground out.
“This marvelous feeling—I’m bursting apart!”
Daniel increased the pace of his thrusts. His cock grew so hard, Elena couldn’t help but wonder if he was turning to brass. With sudden ferocity, he seized the tops of her thighs. “I’m going to release!”
Panting, she braced herself as he pounded into her with abandon.
The door flew wide open.
Elena glanced up. Still in the throes of her climax, her mouth grew slack with both pleasure and surprise. A suited figure stood in the doorway, watching as she and Daniel vigorously copulated.
“What is the meaning of this?” the figure demanded in an all-too familiar voice.
Elena stared ahead in shock. Father?
Chapter Eight
Daniel’s sweaty, shuddering body collapsed over hers as his cock began spurting. There was no stopping the avalanche of his hot seed. It rushed deep inside her, sweeping into every last crevice. He moaned hard into her ear and clutched her breasts in his hands while riding out his pleasure. As her vaginal walls secretly clenched around his shaft to extrude every last drop, panic began to creep along the edge of her ecstasy.
“What in God’s name are you doing to my daughter? Get away from her, you animal!”
Only then did Elena realize exactly how much time had passed. Dear God in Heaven! She must have been in the workshop the entire night. Someone had discovered she’d gone missing. What have I done? Though Daniel’s body radiated volcanic heat, her blood ran cold.
Her father charged forward, fists clenched. “Get away from her!”
Elena quailed as he neared. “Father, no!”
Stuck in a crouch, she couldn’t see above the line of her father’s knees, but his intent was clear. She heard a smacking sound as he hit Daniel across the face. She would have toppled to the side from the force of the blow had Daniel not kept her protected within his powerful embrace.
Around her, the inventor’s body grew dangerously still. He calmly withdrew his cock from her drenched vagina. She winced as a gurgling sound accompanied the act. Daniel had soaked her in an astonishing fashion.
If they’d been alone, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But that was assuredly not the case. This situation was exceedingly awkward.
She sat up and covered her breasts and mons—not because of Daniel, but because of her father. However, she wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to protect him from her nakedness. There was nothing wrong with a woman’s body, nothing at all! Daniel’s ardor had been proof of that. Of course, it seemed Lawrence Harrington had always been ashamed of his daughter no matter what.
She risked a glance upwards. His savage glare made her insides curdle. This could not be happening! She knew the consequences of her father’s wrath. The goal had always been to preserve her secret relationship with the inventor for as long as possible. Why had she been so careless? Only then did she realize the immense power passion had at its discretion. She didn’t regret being with the inventor for one moment, but their tryst came at a price. Her father stood before them like a snake poised to strike.
Daniel stood, seemingly oblivious about his naked state, half-erect penis and mussed hair. He rested a reassuring hand upon Elena’s head. “You need not concern yourself, Mr. Harrington. I intend to offer Elena my hand in marriage.”
She gaped. Marriage? She hardly knew the man. Yet, they clearly had much in common. Plus, Elena would rather take her chances with the mysterious Daniel than creepy old Washburn. Given what they’d been caught doing, matrimony was a sensible choice. Their family’s reputation would remain intact. But would her father agree?
Harrington, his face red and livid, pointed a hard finger in Daniel’s direction. “You will do no such thing. You are fired. You will leave the premises at once. And this town. If I ever catch you so much as looking at my daughter again, I will kill you. Mark my word!”
No! Elena couldn’t bear the thought of a life without Daniel. Why would her father insist on such an extreme measure? “But, Father—”
“Quiet!” he thundered.
Daniel stepped forward. “Sir, you’re making a tremendous mistake—”
Harrington shoved Daniel back so hard, the inventor crashed into a wall of shelved supplies. He arched his back and grimaced in pain. Metal parts rained down upon him. Then he tripped over a bench and fell to the floor.
“Daniel!” Elena cried. Was he hurt badly? Heedless of her nudity, she moved to go to him.
The iron grip of her father’s hand closed around her upper arm. “Elena, you’re coming with me!”
She shrank against the anger in her father’s eyes as he towered over her. She didn’t want to obey, yet felt obligated to do so at the same time. What power did she have to resist? No strength. No status. Nothing. And being female certainly made her lesser in his eyes.
Lawrence Harrington obviously considered her cavorting with the inventor an affront to his good name. The dark expression in his eyes promised punishment of the severest kind. He’d already threatened Daniel with death. A shiver ran down her spine. He’d whip her, or worse…
A sudden need for self-preservation arose. Her mouth opened before she could stop it. “No, I do not want to.”
Her father fisted a section of her hair. Pain shot across her scalp, but it was nothing compared to the blows he began raining down upon her face.
Her vision gre
w distorted as he smacked her first across one cheek, then the other. Agony burned its way through her face. Blood filled her mouth. She twisted around, tears flowing, desperate to avoid his fierce attack. Then his fist connected hard with her abdomen, knocking the breath out of her and giving rise to a vicious ache. Elena instinctively doubled over. On top of that, her father’s unyielding hold upon her hair prevented her from escaping. So as her knees weakened, her body turned into a dangling sac of dead weight. Her tortured scalp smarted beyond belief.
Harrington drove a fist into her left breast. “Impudent harlot!”
Shards of pain splintered through her chest. She opened her mouth to scream but fear had a stranglehold upon her voice. Elena fought to catch her breath even as sobs wracked her body. Her father was cruel, but this assault seemed extreme even for him. She’d known him to show more mercy upon his business competitors. Then again, none of them were his heir, nor had they engaged in scandalous relations with one of his employees.
Harrington grabbed her by the arm again. “You will return to the house this instant.” He narrowed his eyes and glanced around the workshop. “Where in the hell are your clothes?”
She moaned. Her father spotted her nightdress on a table and snatched it up. “Put it on!” he bellowed.
She burst into tears. They streamed down her raw, puffy cheeks. Desperate to avoid further attacks, she attempted to straighten out her nightdress, but the sleeves were inside out. It seemed an impossible task. The material slipped from her trembling fingers. Oh, no!
Her father slapped her again. The room spun.
“Get on with it, you filthy whore.”
His insult drew a fresh wave of tears from her eyes. How could she make him understand that what she and Daniel had shared was a pure, wonderful experience? Were nudity and touching so frowned upon in general society because men like her father feared women exploring the erotic charms of the flesh? Was that why she’d been kept in the dark and restricted to home for much of her life? Would things have been different if her mother were still alive?
Elena suppressed a grief-filled moan as she pulled the nightdress over her head. Speculation would have to wait. Right now, she had to concentrate on surviving her father’s wrath.
The hem had barely dropped to her ankles when her father yanked her forward. She winced as the act nearly pulled her arm from its socket. The way he was mumbling under his breath indicated more punishment would be forthcoming.
And what would become of the inventor?
She looked upon the spot where he’d fallen, but he’d disappeared. What? Had he left already? Was he really a selfish coward at heart? She would have sworn Daniel had been cut from a different cloth than her father, but apparently, she was wrong. A piercing ache tore apart her heart. Lawrence Harrington had emerged the victor in a bitter war of wills. She bowed her head in defeat.
As she turned to leave, a blur of motion passed through her peripheral vision.
The inventor threw a punch toward her father. Elena pulled out of his slackened grasp as Daniel’s fist connected with her father’s face. Blood shot from Harrington’s nose as he staggered back. A table broke his fall and he clambered back to his feet.
Ignoring the blood running down his mouth and chin, he regarded the inventor with rage-filled eyes. “Stand aside or I’ll have you arrested.”
Daniel raised both fists. “I will defend Elena’s honor to the death.”
Harrington shrugged. “So be it, fool.”
With that, he grabbed a nearby stool and swung it toward Daniel’s head.
The inventor leaped back. The stool missed his head, but not his torso. Daniel grimaced as it battered his chest. He darted to the side. Harrington stalked toward him, brandishing the stool yet again.
Daniel feinted, then lunged straight for Harrington’s midsection. Her father whacked him on the shoulder with the stool, but Daniel succeeded in knocking him to the ground. As Harrington fell, the stool flew from his grasp. It landed atop a pile of gears with a metallic clang.
Daniel straddled her father’s midsection and began pummeling him with his fists. One, two, three, four…. Elena lost count of how many times he swung.
But she had to prevent him from losing control. Her father had connections everywhere and was one of the most influential men in the town. The watch on duty would surely arrest Daniel if he went too far.
She rushed forward. Her father’s face had transformed into a nightmare mask of bloody, bruised horror. Regardless of what had transpired, he was still her father. She grabbed the inventor’s arm before he could strike again. “Daniel, stop! You’ve done enough. Please stop!”
His arms slowed. Chest heaving, he climbed off Harrington and stood. Beads of sweat poured down his face.
“I could not allow him to treat you in such a despicable manner.”
“And I thank you for it.” She placed a tentative hand on his arm. “But he is not worth losing your freedom—or your life.”
“Need rope,” he muttered, and began sifting through his supplies.
Elena glanced down. Her father lay still, but his chest rose and fell. Still alive then. Blood splattered his formerly crisp, white shirt. His jacket was disheveled and torn in a few places. She could hardly conceive of her father in such a disorderly state, but there he was. His violent tendencies had clearly overridden his good sense. And over what? A beautiful encounter between a man and a woman.
Anger and resentment lit a fire of a different kind. Men like her father shouldn’t be in charge of the world if violence was how they reacted to something so natural.
Daniel returned bearing rope. She frowned. “What are you doing?”
“You won’t be safe as long as he refuses to see reason.” He began tying her father’s hands together.
Conflicting emotions tangled in her heart.
“We cannot keep him tied up all day. The servants…visitors…people will go searching for him and ask questions.” She glanced through the open doorway. “They could be here any minute!”
The inventor shot her a pointed look. “Are you suggesting we report this to the watch ourselves? After what we did?” He moved on to secure Harrington’s feet.
He had a point. Everyone would take her father’s side. Elena hadn’t a true ally in the world, save for the heroic man before her. “I suppose we need to keep it a secret.”
Daniel nodded briskly. “That is the world we live in, Elena.”
Tears pricked her eyes. Damn the injustice! Would the world ever change for the better?
He finished the last knot and then stood beside her. He bent down to study her face. “Are you in much pain?”
The considerate nature of his tone overwhelmed her. She blinked away her tears. “Yes, but I shan’t dwell on it. The important thing is that you’re safe.”
“Nay, that we’re both safe.”
He slid his arm around her waist. She leaned against him, reassured by his solid presence.
She pursed her lips. “There must be a way we can convince him to come round…see our side of the situation.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
She considered his question for a moment. “No.”
“Nor do I.”
“Surely, there’s a solution that will allow us all to save face.” She looked around the workshop. “Perhaps we should quickly pack a few clothes and take our leave. Go far away to a place where he can never find us.”
Daniel frowned. “Doesn’t seem fair considering how much he hurt you. And I have my career to consider. This is how I make a living. I refuse to be intimidated or hide.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to make that sacrifice.” She rubbed her aching eyes. “You should go. Perhaps we were never meant to be.” Being trapped in her father’s house for the rest of her life would be horrible, but at least the inventor would be free. She turned away and pressed her face into her hands.
Daniel grasped her shoulders. “You are too smart to believe such a th
ing. Too full of hope.”
Elena placed her hands against his chest to steady herself. Her throat closed painfully as a tear slipped down her cheek. “That is kind of you to say, but I cannot figure a way out of this mess without you getting hurt. My father is too well-known, too powerful. He’d have you beaten, or worse—killed. I have no influence over him, and certainly no control over his actions.”
Daniel suddenly straightened. His gaze roved over his workshop. “We have much more control than you think.”
Elena’s brow furrowed with confusion. “How do you mean?”
He cupped her elbow and guided her to a wash basin. “Here, let’s tend to your injuries first. I’ll lock the doors, and then you can assist me.”
“Assist you with what?”
“The perfect solution to our problem.”
Chapter Nine
Sunlight flooded the dining room of the Harrington Salisbury Street mansion. Standing by a window, Elena glanced about her with a beaming expression. Her redecoration efforts had turned out exceedingly well. This room, and many others, had been long overdue for a personality change.
Bright yellow curtains framed the windows. New wallpaper enhanced the space with images of colorful birds. A huge vase of flowers, picked fresh from the garden, served as the table’s centerpiece. She inhaled the perfumed aroma with deep satisfaction.
“Sorry I am late, darling,” Daniel announced.
She smiled as the inventor stepped through the doorway. “It is quite all right. I have not been waiting long.”
He strode over and swept her up in his arms. “You look lovely, as always.”
He planted a warm, sensuous kiss on her eager lips. She held tightly to his biceps as her body pressed against his muscular form. They’d made love an hour ago upon waking, but she already craved another round. Their passion would have to be patient, however, since he had a new contract to fulfill.
“Are you ready to eat?”
He nodded. “Starving.”
She rang the kitchen bell. Moments later, servants filed in, bearing trays of aromatic dishes.
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