Authors: Nichole Matthews
The only way she was going to truly be free would be b
y confronting her demons
face to face.
A heavy weight settled in her stomach
at the thought
.
But did she have a choice?
In truth, she did not.
If she stayed she would have to reveal the truth. In so many ways, it was everything that she wanted to do. Wipe the slate clean. Start from scratch. Forget
the past
.
She had to go away.
Persephone
turned at the faint scratching sound, she watched as Lucy puttered around
humming a lively tune as she went about her business
, then
she
brought her
the borrowed cotton night rail,
which only
succeeded in reminding
her that she had nothing.
Persephone went through the motions. She changed. She washed her face and hands. She cleaned her teeth. She brushed out her hair and
sat quietly
, staring idly at her reflection in the mirror
while Lucy
plaited the deep red strands
in
to
a thick braid that fell down past the middle of her back
. Tying the braided hair
with a borrowed ribbon
and then climbed into the high bed.
She leaned up on her elbows and stared across the room. Expensively furnished, elegantly appointed, feminine comfort that mocked her.
Nothing was hers.
If she left, she would be leaving in stolen clothes, stolen shoes,
and with
stolen food.
She
flopped back against the bed,
an extra pillow clutched in her arms. She pressed her face into
its softness to muffle her frustrated cries
.
She wasn’t a coward
, was she?
She was a survivor
, wasn’t she?
Was she willing to risk it all? If he found her she would have less than nothing. She would more than likely be dead. What would happen to Tillie?
What did she have to lose?
Nothing.
Everything.
She just lay for a time, unable to get her thoughts to gather quickly enough to make a decision. She pushed herself up a little and flung the pillow
,
wet from her tears
,
across the room and watched as the knick knacks on the dresser rattled against one another, wobbling, but not falling over.
Anticipation stole her breath.
I cannot deny this any longer. It must be done. I refuse to deny myself this pleasure.
She
swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood on the plush rug that protected her feet from the cold floor, but still shivered. She wiggled her toes in the delicious plushness, squared her shoulders, reached for the
blue silk
wrapper that lay over the foot of the bed and belted it tightly around her waist.
***
Parker had already begun to undress, standing
only in his shirt and trousers. He leaned
aga
inst the doorframe leading to the
balcony off his
bedroom.
H
ardly more than a perch with a stone
rail, but it was perfect for
clearing his head
.
He knew she was as attra
cted to him as he was
to her. He had felt it in her kiss. He could see it in her eyes.
It hung in the air between them whenever they were in sight distance from the other. No touch required and he hardened like a rock.
W
hen
he heard a faint knock
at his door
, h
e sighed.
Damn that interfering chit
.
Piper never could leave well enough alone.
He
took one more long draw and blew out a frustrated stream of smoke before dropping his cheroot to
the ground with a curse and
crush
ing
it under his boot he
e
l.
“Piper…” he growled.
S
urprise flittered
across his
face when he flung open
the door
to look
down
not into Piper’s smug face
,
but into
Persephone’s
flushed
face
.
“Persephone?”
“I-I-I’m sorry,” she backed up.
She swallowed an
d rubbed her damp hands on her wrapper
.
“I didn’t realize you were expe
cting a visit from your si
ster.
”
S
he was surprised to hear that her voice sounded a little breathy. She glanced back into the hall as if someone were going to grab her from behind.
She forced a deep breath
,
deep into her lungs. The breath did nothing to relieve her nerves. So she
was forced to do
it again.
“I’m not.” His jaw tightened and h
is hands clenched and unclenched at his sides
, but he took a step back to allow her to enter
.
He didn’t want her to be caught outside his
room in the middle of the night, e
specially with his nosy sister still under this roof.
“Is anything the matter?”
He reached for her hand
and the warmth of his fingers
wrapped around her wrist sen
ding
a wave of heat that pooled in the center of her body
leaving an aching need
. “Has something happened to Tillie?”
His voice was hoarse with worry.
Persephone
shook her head,
halt
ing
just inside the door her eyes flitting back and forth at the deeply masculine room and
her mouth went dry as she glimpsed
the
enormous
bed that stood against one wall.
She decided she
wouldn’t risk never getting to feel his arms around her
again
.
One last time. Her heart
hammer
ed like
she
had
been running for miles, no
t just walking a few feet down the
dark
ened
hall.
She drank in the sight of him. He was so beautiful, so big and strong.
Parker gave her a level look
, waiting for her to speak
and caught the
tinge
of
uncertainty
that sparked in her eyes
,
then quickly disappeared.
He reluctantly released her wrist, missing the feel of her soft skin under his rough palm
and stepped back
.
“This was a mistake,”
she said faintly
wetting her suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue
. “I should return to my room
.”
The trembling inside her stomach work
ed outward until her legs nearly gave out
.
Oh, dear. What must he think of her?
The
delightful
scattering of
freckles across her nose and the
tiny pink tongue that nervo
usly flicked out to lick her rosy
lips distracted him.
He had never experience
d
such intense arousal before.
Such an
insistent, aching need to be around
anyone. Around
her
and
only her. To ease her spirit. To soothe her nerves. To alleviate her fears.
To see her eyes go soft with arousal
as he knew they would
.
He longed t
o hear the hitch in her breath when he touched her intimately.
He burned t
o feel the si
lk of her skin beneath the call
used tips of his fingers. He nearly groaned aloud as his thoughts wandered and his cock tightened, pressing insistently against the fall of his trousers.
The all-consuming
, searing look Parker was giving her,
unsettled her
. She watched as his blue eyes
grew dark
, following the path of her tongue
as it left a wet trail
across her lips.
“Don’t go
,
”
Parker said, breaking into her ruminations.
He didn’t want to sound desperate, but he was. He wanted her with every fiber of his being
and he was
unwilling to watch her walk away.
He stepped closer.
She swallowed
, her hand fluttered up to her chest, gripping the lapels of her
blue silk
wrapper and pulling them
together with her trembling fingers
.
A
wave of anticipation crashed through over her
body
and she shuddered
.
There was no turning back now.
“Stay.”
Parker wanted to reach out and touch her, to stroke his hand over her bare skin, or slide his fingers into her thick red hair, but he restrained himself. He wanted the decision to
remain hers alone.
His
lips curved into a faint smile,
nearly sigh
ing
aloud when she
closed the space between them and slipped her arms around his narrow waist.
His sides felt like steel bands and his heart beat fast against her cheek.
She buried her face in his linen covered muscles and inhaled his scent greedily. She would remember
it always
a
nd each time she smelled—tobacco
, brandy,
and musk
,
she would be reminded
of him
and this night
.
Of
the comforting feel of
his arms wrapped tightly around her trembling body.
“Why did you come to my room, Persephone?”
Parker rasped, his heart pounding beneath his linen shirt
even though he wanted her here. Savoring the way she unconsciously curled against his chest
.
She could feel the rich baritone rumbling against her ear
in opposition of his heartbeat
and new that he was struggling. Fighting battles of his own.
He would hold her as long as it took
to draw the words from her. H
is hands rubbed gentle circles on her back
over and over, higher and higher until his strong hand gripped the vulnerable curve of her neck.
Her breath quicken
ed
. Even though she expected questions, her insides still knotted. When she didn’t answer, Parker pulled away so that he could see her face
, his head cocked to one side
.
She looked up
at him and somehow managed to say, “
Make love to me, Parker.”
She held her breath as she waited for him to decide.
He stared at her
,
his nostrils flaring
. Did she know what those words did to him? With gentle fingers, h
e
pulled the ribbon from the end of her braid and
th
rust his hands in her hair, watching as
the red
strands
spread in thick
curl
s
to
below her waist in
a curtain of glorious silk.
Sh
e
sighed as he
ran his fingers
through her hair
, letting
it cascade over her shoulders and back
. H
er blood thrumm
ed
through her veins
as he
bent down to nuzzle her neck
, te
eth
closing gently on her
skin. He gave
her goose flesh
as he nipped at her throat
sending sh
arp spikes of pleasure to her center
. The evening’s growth of stubble
darkening his cheeks and chin
abraded her tender skin and sent
additional
shivers down her s
pine to settle between her leg
s.