In Rapture (Destined) (10 page)

A
bloody mess of brown curls looked back at her, accompanied by cold blue eyes
that were frozen in time. The woman shifted, and she saw the large gaping bite
marks on her arms and the flesh that had been ripped apart with large claws
before an empty darkness entered her eyes. Maria’s form was transposed over her
own. The ghost opened her mouth and a loud deadly shriek bounced into the air
around her. Malinda put her hands to her ears and shut her eyes to squeeze the
image out of her mind. She heard a loud smash and opened her eyes to find the
mirror had shattered into pieces before her. She backed away from the shards
that had started to splint away from the frame, ducking as they flew across the
room.

“Enough!”
The words left her mouth before Malinda could rethink them, and her shield
exploded in the air around her as the glass attempted to pierce it. The shards
rebounded from the shield and landed harmlessly on the floor. She took a deep
breath and awaited the next wave of attack, but it never came. The air shifted
yet again and the frisson that had once run up her spine no longer remained.
The air was still, the room was empty. Malinda stood surrounded by a circle of
glass as her shield had protected her from the raining shards that had just
lanced at her. She heard footsteps race up the stairs and turned to the sound.
She half-expected another attack.

“Malinda?”
Grant’s voice entered the room long before Malinda could see him.

“Yes?”
Malinda could not fight the annoyance that filtered into her voice. She could
not ignore that it was
his
former wife that seemed to be out to get her,
and Malinda was definitely annoyed by that fact.

“Are
you all right?” A puzzled look covered his face. He wondered how the glass had
surrounded her, but yet not one piece seemed to have hurt her. While this was
the first thought that interjected into his mind the second was how in the
world had that glass shattered around her in the first place. “What happened?”

“Just
clumsy, I guess. I will probably be in for some bad luck.” She looked over at
Grant with an impish grin. As much as she wanted to be annoyed with Grant for
his interruption she could not miss the irony of the situation. He looked like
a knight running up to save his damsel in distress. His face was filled with
something she could not translate, something completely unfamiliar to her. His
long hair was bound tightly behind his neck, but there were curls trying to
escape around his face. A deep, secret part of her imagined what it would feel
like to wrap her fingers around those curls. His face had been covered in hair
earlier, but now it was trimmed neatly. While it was not completely naked, it
was covered with enough hair that she longed to run her hands over it and let
the scruff tickle her palms. She shook her head swiftly, trying to shake the
longing away. Her dream ran through her thoughts one last time and wrapped
around the forefront of her mind with an unbearable longing. A slight flush
tinted her face before she managed to control her thoughts. In the time between
those thoughts Grant had managed to walk closer to her with his eyes narrowed
dangerously at her.

“Don’t.”
A single word fell from his lips.

“I’m
sorry? Don’t what?” Malinda looked up at him with confusion, still shaking away
the feelings that thrummed through her body.

“Don’t
fight it, Malinda.”

His
mouth was an inch away from hers and yet Malinda could feel the heat of him
already scalding her lips. He reached an arm out to her as his foot kicked the
shards away from them. He was a lifeline she had never had before. Malinda put
her hand in his and found herself hauled into an embrace she had only dared
dreamed about before. The comfort, the safety, and the thrill of requited
desire were no longer hidden to her. With her head on his shoulder it was easy
to feel the beat of his heart pulsing at his throat, its rhythm danced a
soliloquy around her head until she felt her own beat rise to meet his. Malinda
raised her head to meet his heated gaze and what she saw inside did not scare
her as much as she thought it might. Thankfully it was not love, the only thing
she feared more than anything in this world. It was desire, the same desire
that ran through her veins. The moment seemed lost in time, and she desperately
hoped his lips would put hers out of misery. Her eyes closed as she waited for
a kiss that never came.

“Not
now.”

If
the desire had not been sucked dry from her at his words it would have died as
soon as the air chilled around them, for she knew that they were no longer
alone. She bit her lip in annoyance, trying to bury the longing that had
stirred deep within her. He had not even kissed her, not even attempted to stoke
the fires within her. They had risen of their own accord and were now fizzling
to ashes within her. She looked away, her heart still trembling inside. Tears
of her anger were now attempting to free themselves, but she stilled them as
best as she could. “Very well. I need to freshen up for dinner, my lord.”

 Malinda
walked away from Grant with her head high. She extinguished whatever fantasies
that had risen within her. She heard Grant cursing loudly when she made it to
the bottom of the stairs and a soft smile lit her face. It was good to know he
was not as unaffected by their encounter as he pretended. She made her way to
their room and decided she would put extra effort into her appearance that
evening.

Chapter 15

Malinda
stood before the mirror and glanced at the mess of curls around her face. She
brought a comb down slowly, wincing as she worked her way through the tangles.
Then she twisted the length of her hair and wound it tightly around the top of
her head. She used little pins to hold it in place, as little curls snaked
their way around her head. She pulled at the hair enough to make the coronet
appear tousled by a lover’s hand and coaxed a few small snippets of curls away
so that they fell loosely at the nape of her neck. She picked up the flowers
that Sophia had picked for her earlier and pinned them into her hair; the white
apple blossoms contrasting deeply with her dark hair, like little stars painted
into the night sky.

Malinda
owned only one dress that made her feel like a real lady, and thankfully it had
been returned to her. Her grandmother had painstakingly sewn the deep purple
silk dress for an annual party at Tinley Faire, the only formal dinner party
that Malinda had ever attended, one that many of the people of Tinley Faire had
been invited to. It had been a few years since she had worn it, which was easy
to see as her body had certainly grown since then. Before the dress had fit her
as a youthful girl, but now it fit her as a woman. What had looked charming on
Malinda many years ago now fit her like a second skin that held her tightly
from her chest down to the gentle curve of her hips, where the skirt of the
gown floated like a cloud around her feet. A mature amount of cleavage
displayed itself to the world as her breasts jutted angrily against the
confining bodice. At first Malinda found it difficult to breath, but when her
body adjusted to the constriction she began to take smaller relaxed breaths
until she finally felt normal.

If
this did not get his attention she did not know what would. She was tired of
dreaming about a fantasy lover. She coveted the real thing, and since she was
already married to Grant there did not seem to be any reason not to explore her
options. It was lust, nothing more. As long as she held her heart intact she
would be just fine. It was not like she could fall in love with him. From what
she understood of Lord Timberlin, he was hardly there, so falling for him would
be hard to do. Malinda pinched her cheeks to create a pink glow and smiled
mysteriously. She might still be the innocent maid from Tinley Faire, but
tonight that would all change.

Malinda
made her way down to the dining room and found that Grant was already there.
Sophia was seated to his right and he was entertaining her with his napkin, as
he made it into little shapes and made little voices. The breath caught in her
throat at the sight. There was something endearing in the way they looked
together, as if the years of walls built up between the father and child had
come crumbling down to the ground. A warning bell sounded off in her head, for
this was the kind of thing that could melt her resolve to remain detached.
Malinda took a deep breath as she walked closer to the table. When Grant looked
up at her, if he was shocked at her appearance he did not show it, although when
she looked closer the heat in his gaze foretold more than his closed features.

“Good
evening, Grant. I hope I did not keep you both waiting too long.” A bright
smile lit up Sophia’s face when she saw her, and Malinda could not help but
walk over to her side and kiss her forehead. “Hello, my pet. I hope the chaos
of the day hasn’t worn you out too much.” She ruffled Sophia’s hair before
returning to the other side of the table. She sat down next to Grant and
grimaced a little under his perusal. She had known she would attract his
attention, and while it sent a thrill of anticipation up her spine, a part of
her felt the weary warnings of something deeper stirring within her. She shook
it off at once and raised her eyes to his. What she saw inside the golden orbs
should have sent her running, but the gentle hand that had covered hers
underneath the table was oddly comforting.

“We
were just about to start eating. Gertie has prepared a great feast this
evening.” There was a distinct electricity in the air as Grant’s eyes fixed on
hers a moment too long. He grimaced for a moment before shuffling in his chair,
then cleared his throat.

They
sat there exchanging subtle niceties during the meal. She kept her eyes on
Sophia as much as possible, for the heat of Grant’s gaze burned holes in her
resolve. Malinda longed to experience desire like she did in her dreams, but
the energy that emanated from him was a whirlpool of emotions that made her
want to run. Was desire really this dangerous? Fear roared its ugly head at the
last moment, and Malinda rose to help Desiree take Sophia to her room for the
night.

“Malinda.
Sit.”

It
was an order and it froze her in place instantly. She dared not disobey the man
seated at the table. She took a deep breath and turned to meet Grant’s deadly
gaze. “I would see to our daughter, my lord.”

“Desiree
will see to her tonight, Malinda. You will not hide behind Sophia. Not tonight.”

Malinda
watched as Desiree bobbed out of the room with Sophia at her side. She started
to sit back down in her chair and was surprised to feel strong arms reach for
her. Grant hauled her into his lap and, before she could even think to object,
his lips were on hers. She felt a slight tingle work its way down her neck as
his lips covered hers fiercely. Malinda pushed herself away from his mouth and
struggled to breath, but the confines of her dress multiplied with his nearness
were making her breaths stifling. She put her hand to her chest and tugged
gently at her bodice. Grant pushed her hand away and a loud sound ripped
through the air as his hands tore through the fabric like a sheet of paper. She
gasped and tried desperately to cover her breasts with her arms, but his hands
were faster than hers and he pushed hers away. Malinda felt his rough hands
massage the soft skin that was unused to any man’s touch. When his fingers
brushed over her nipple she felt trapped in a moment in time, and a bizarre
haze started to fill her head. His mouth soon followed his hands and, when his
heat captured it deliciously, she trembled as she arched her back into his
strong arms.

Malinda
gathered whatever will she had left to push him away from her breast. She
struggled within the confines of his arms and pushed to stand before him. Her
arms crossed over her and wrapped around her shoulders. She was visibly shaken
when his eyes met hers. “I thought you needed to talk.”

“I
was. Didn’t you hear the way my body spoke to yours?” A wicked smile gleamed
across his face.

“I
can’t do this. Not here, Grant.” Malinda looked all around, hoping that none of
the maids had seen their interlude.

“Fine.”

As
Grant rose, Malinda’s eyes roamed over him, from his dangerously seductive
golden eyes to his pert mouth clamped down in challenge, and then to his
strongly defined chin covered in dark blonde hair. She was aware of his
shoulders, so broad and strong that she imagined he could carry the world upon
them. The darkness she had felt within him at times reminded her that perhaps
he did, indeed, carry a deep burden upon them. She let her gaze run down the
length of him, letting herself imagine the muscles that were hidden beneath the
crisp white tunic. When her eyes strayed upon the dark breeches that sculpted
his calves like a second skin, she started to panic. He advanced at her and she
put up a hand, forgetting the torn dress. When his eyes were no longer staring
at her face Malinda remembered her dilemma. She held the fabric of her bodice
together with one hand and put another hand up, while backing slowly away from
the panther-like gaze he had trained on her.

“What
a quandary.” A soft chuckle filled the air before Grant whisked her into the
air and Malinda shrieked.

“Put
me down, Grant!” She wrestled with her emotions, for while she told him to put
her down she wanted nothing of the sort. She did not know why she felt the need
to play the shy maid, for even though she was a virgin her thoughts were
anything but innocent as he carried her up the stairs to their room.