Deceit: A Beauty and the Beast Novel (17 page)

Chapter 10

Still seething, I crashed through the
kitchen door and searched for something to throw. Bryn had gone too
far. How could she so publicly disassociate herself from our
father? The man who’d given everything to care for us. He never
asked for anything in return. He’d known about Bryn’s interest in
Tennen, her money hoarding, and he accepted it. Accepted
her
.

Stalking into the room, I found a platter of
fruit on the table. I hefted the tray, ready to throw it into the
fireplace when it was plucked from my hands.

“And what, dearest, has you so agitated?
Surely the letters didn’t cause this,” the beast said quietly
beside me.

I spun to face him.

“My sister told my father that she doesn’t
want him at her wedding feast. Can you believe her? After all he’s
given. He’s good enough to pay for her wedding feast but not to
attend.” I tossed my hands high into the air in my frustration then
sat heavily on a chair. “I think she meant to exclude me, too, had
it not been for her betrothed’s cousin. Bryn hinted that the way I
dress would embarrass her.”

He set the platter to the side and studied
me intently for a moment.

“What do you plan to do?” he finally
asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Revenge. Will you tell Edmund about the
baby?”

“Of course not. It would only cause more
pain to the people I care about.” I paused and frowned at the
beast. “How do you know his name?”

He gave a small smile. “I like to be kept
current on what your family is doing. I wouldn’t want any surprises
to take you from me.”

His comment struck a chord in me. And, I
realized I wouldn’t want to be taken from him either. Especially if
it meant living with Bryn again.

“I wish my sister would see what she’s
doing,” I said with a sigh.

“Perhaps you should tell her what a selfish
bitch she is.”

I gave him a sharp look. I might have been
mad at her, but I still loved her and didn’t like anyone speaking
ill of her.

He gave a deprecating laugh and shook his
head.

“It’s the truth. I well know selfish.”

“She won’t listen.”

“You are very persuasive,” he said.

I sighed again.

“The feast is in three days. I do want to
attend, and I want to bring my father. I will need Swiftly again.
Do you have a coat that might fit my father? I would return
it.”

The beast nodded slowly.

“I can provide what’s needed for both you
and your father. But I need your word that you will return before
sunset.”

“Of course,” I agreed easily, glad that he
didn’t mention it would be an extra visit.

* * * *

As a precaution, I went to bed fully
dressed. Having clothes again was nice, and I hoped to keep them.
However, when I woke I was once again naked. The beast lay curled
next to me, sleeping peacefully.

Warm and comfortable, I stayed in bed a
moment. His dreams never seemed troubled when he slept beside me,
and I was glad my presence gave him some measure of comfort; he
seemed to derive very little elsewhere.

I studied his sleep-relaxed face. Where
others might see a wild brute, I saw a bored, clever creature who
had forgotten what it meant to be a man—if he ever really knew. I
wasn’t blind to his faults, just as I wasn’t blind to his
regrets.

Quietly, I slid from the bed and moved to
the wash water as I continued to consider the beast.

His past misconducts had brought him fifty
years of questionable punishment. A punishment that didn’t inspire
reform but, rather, loneliness.

I ran the cloth over my face and wondered if
that wasn’t the real reason he’d brought me here. Yes, he wanted to
break the curse; but, perhaps, he had wanted a companion more. I
rinsed the cloth and wiped my arms and torso.

The drag of cloth over my breast distracted
me from my thoughts and brought forward the memory of his mouth on
me. My nipples tightened. Since he’d first set his mouth on them,
they felt more...alive. Perhaps I was only more aware.

I rinsed the cloth again, and a furry chest
pressed against my back as if my thoughts had conjured him. I
froze. His fingers trailed down my arm, leaving goosebumps in their
wake.

“Beauty,” he whispered.

His lips pressed against the curve of my
shoulder as he stole the cloth from my grasp and set it against my
stomach. I couldn’t move. The cloth skimmed over my skin, from ribs
to navel, while his breath tickled my neck.

“Allow me to help,” he said.

The cloth sank lower until it swept over my
curls. My breath hitched. He stopped and swept up over my stomach
again and further still, until it smoothed over my breast. I leaned
back against him and forgot to breathe as he gently circled one
then the other.

When the cloth left my chest and drifted
lower, I reached back and set my hand to his cheek. He turned his
head and kissed my palm. All the while, the cloth continued its
downward glide. My skin heated, and a burning ignited in my middle
when the cloth swiped over my curls once more. Without meaning to,
I widened my stance and then almost groaned when he retreated
without exploring further.

“Please,” I whispered, trembling.

He growled low and worked his way down
again. This time, he parted me and gently ran the cloth over me.
Once. I gasped. Twice. I panted. Thrice. My legs shook. He removed
the cloth and set it on the wash bowl.

My insides had liquefied. I
wanted
,
but I didn’t understand what. I
ached,
but couldn’t name an
exact spot.

His fingers trailed over the skin of my arms
and stomach. He swept my hair aside and pressed his lips against my
neck, nuzzling and licking. The attention caused tingles and shocks
to course through me, ending between my legs.

He prowled around me, his arm supporting my
back. His hungry gaze held mine for a moment, then he dipped his
head and suckled my nipple, causing a sweet ache that made me
groan. He growled in response and nudged me back a step...two. I
bumped against the bed.

He lowered me to the mattress, grasped my
hands, and held them slightly out to my sides. His mouth roamed my
chest, then lower. Too consumed by heat, I didn’t protest.

His tongue touched my curls, and I gave a
soft whimper. My hips lifted of their own accord. He teased me,
never going lower to the spot that ached so badly for his touch. My
muscles tensed from anticipation. I whined and shifted when he
skimmed by me again. Heat crested and ebbed, rolling over me in
confusing waves. Gasping, I struggled for air as the tension coiled
tighter.

Then his lips, his touch, left me. Cool air
confused me. I lifted my head. The room was empty. Letting my head
fall, I stared at the ceiling as I realized how close I’d come to
letting him taste me. Oddly, the thought didn’t disturb me.

Slowly, my breathing and pulse returned to
normal. Though I physically recovered, mentally I replayed the
encounter until I frowned with annoyance and understanding. Pent
energies. He’d woken something inside me with patience and
persistence. Whatever it was, I wanted something only he
understood. Well, others might understand; however, he was the only
one likely to tell me about it.

I stood and moved to the wardrobe, surprised
to see he’d given me a full selection once again. Though I eyed the
plain dresses and even the shirts and pants, I did not move to wear
them. The remembered feel of his lips stopped me.

Moving around dresses, I found one of the
gossamer types he’d first made me wear and grinned. Taking the
dress and a shirt, I prepared myself for an interesting day.

Awhile later, I stepped through the study
door, carrying a tray.

When he glanced at me, he froze. The shirt
reached the top of my thighs just barely covering the v of my legs.
I’d buttoned the hole just above my breasts and left the rest
loose, exposing flesh from the valley between my breasts and
everything downward each time I moved. Yet, the gossamer dress
underneath the shirt gave the illusion of decency.

“Did you eat?” I asked politely, setting the
tray on his desk.

He shook his head slightly, not taking his
gaze from my body. I felt like stretching, to bask in his
attention, which I thought odd since I’d always had it.

“What are you wearing?” he finally
managed.

“A compromise, I hope,” I said with a smile.
“You want to see me. I want to feel covered. This is a little bit
of both, don’t you agree?”

I held out my arms, which inadvertently
lifted the hem of my shirt by two inches and parted the edges. I
executed a slow turn for him. Before I knew what had happened, he
had me up in his arms, and we raced through the halls back to my
room.

“It is better to wear nothing,” he growled,
setting me on my bed and stripping me of the clothes. The fabric
tore in his haste. He sank to his knees and looked up at me.

“I’m begging you, stay in your room today.
You will want for nothing.”

I nodded, disappointed. I’d hoped for more
from him.

His hungry gaze swept over my face, then he
closed his eyes. In that moment, I understood that he’d wanted more
from me, too.

Blushing deeply, I inched my knees
apart.

With his eyes still closed, he gave a groan
and kissed my knee.

I inched my knees further apart. He opened
his eyes. His gaze locked with mine. Then, he leaned forward and
kissed the side of my knee. Further still saw a kiss a few inches
up. Barely breathing, I leaned back on my elbows and boldly drew up
my legs and placed my heels on the edge of the bed, giving him the
view he’d wanted just a few days ago.

My cheeks burned with uncertainty and
wanting.

“I will not take,” he said. “Tell me what
you want from me.”

“Taste me. No more,” I begged.

He obliged, leaning forward to run his
tongue along the crease of my hip and thigh. I fought not to
squirm.

I felt myself part and his breath on my
center. His tongue touched inside, just skimming to the left of my
opening, missing the spot that burned for his attention. He shifted
his focus to the right side, giving it the same. My hands drifted
to his head. Then, his tongue touched my center. My hips bucked as
he skimmed it lightly, at first, then with more urgency. When his
lips closed over it and he suckled, noises escaped me. Moans and
whimpers.

Gasping, I arched my hips. He closed his
hands around my thighs. The firm touch of his fingers aroused me
further. He left my center to tease my opening, dipping in for a
small taste before plunging the length of his tongue into me. He
lapped and sucked for a moment, all the while the area he’d left
cried for more attention.

He seemed to sense my need because he
returned to it and suckled with greater intensity. The tension
inside me coiled tighter and tighter. By reflex, my legs tried to
stiffen and close. His firm grip kept them open, enabling his feast
until the coiled tension inside me broke free with a scream. I
convulsed, thrusting up into his flicking tongue as my legs locked
in their stretched position. Waves of pleasure coursed through me,
tightening and releasing my muscles in slow rolling waves.

His licking eased as I twitched under him. I
lay limp on the bed, a new world suddenly exposed to me. He kissed
my sensitive nub lightly then the inside of my thigh. While I was
still too weak to speak, he rose and left me there in a puddle of
awe.

After several long minutes, I regained
enough control to stand up and wash myself again. Every nerve
ending still tingled. I felt relaxed and at ease. Sara’s cry of
delight and look of shame afterward made sense. To feel that way
with the baker between her legs had to be deeply disturbing. But
the beast. I sighed in contentment before I caught myself.

Sitting heavily, I gave my circumstances
careful deliberation. If the beast freed himself, he would
undoubtedly forget me. That he would probably disregard me easily
made me uncomfortably morose. I certainly wouldn’t forget him. Yet,
once he was free, I would need to move on with my life. After Bryn
wed, I would need to start my own search for a suitable man.
However, the thought of marrying some unknown man caused my heart
to lurch, and I realized just how much I’d grown to care for the
beast. What I’d told him about leaving me a piece of myself was
more true now, than ever.

I wouldn’t be the same if he took everything
I had. I wouldn’t be able to walk away.

But, if he did not free himself, would
saving a piece of myself be an issue? If he remained a beast, I
could stay with him as long as I wanted.

Frowning, I considered his attitude toward
Rose and amended my thought. I could stay with him as long as I had
my youth. After that, I could still find someone suitable to wed.
But, the prospect of doing so didn’t fill me with any sense of
anticipation.

Pushing aside the dread, I focused on the
immediate possibilities and made a decision. I would stay here with
the beast; not because of a threat I no longer believed him capable
of carrying out, but because I wanted to stay.

Not bothering to dress, I stood with a smile
and went to seek him out. To my dismay, both doors were locked.

A horrible thought struck, and I flew to my
window. Thrusting open the glass, I leaned out and called for
Egrit. She came into view after several moments. Relief flooded
me.

She looked up at me and shrugged as if
asking why I called.

“I’m so sorry to yell like that. I was
worried. The beast has locked me in my room, and I wanted to be
sure you were safe.”

The nymph smiled and nodded. She waved me
back inside, and I quickly obeyed, realizing I hung out the window
with my breasts completely exposed.