The Devil's Inheritance Ch. 02

She felt his hands raise and lower her upon him, locked in his embrace as she twined her legs around him. James couldn't exit her even if he wanted to. Sophia's hold on him was too strong. He watched her breasts rise and fall in the moonlight, her curled strands of hair bouncing behind her.

Still deep inside of her, he walked five long paces to the bed and leaned down until her back rested lightly against the cool sheets. He pushed deeper into her as her legs remained locked around him. Sophia felt James reach underneath to rub his thumb against her aching pearl. She arched up into him, his thrusts coming faster as his forehead leaned onto hers, steel gray eyes entrancing her.

He gently pinched her bud, squeezing it between two fingers as Sophia exploded, her legs tightening their grip around him. James threw his head up to the ceiling with a shout and fell to her breast, panting and light headed. He listened to her heart beating out of her chest, matching his own.

"I think the real question," James said softly, almost inaudibly, as he gasped for air, "Is how is it you can makemefeel this way?"

Sophia could only lie there, feeling him still deep within her, and stroked his hair. Both of them gasped for air and the closeness of their bodies made it start to rise and fall in unison. She was perplexed by his words but now too exhausted to think on them.

James reluctantly separated from her as Sophia rolled over in bed and lay on her back with one knee bent upward, her arms resting above the sheets on her stomach. She felt the weight of the bed shift as James crawled in and rested next to her, pushing his arm under her neck and cradling her shoulder.

He looked over at her and brought his other hand to rest on her womb. Sophia moved her hand down and to James's astonishment, knitted her fingers between his, holding his hand upon her. Both stared at the ceiling in silent euphoria afraid to speak to each other and ruin this moment as they drifted off to sleep.

Her old neighbor's rooster crowed in the distance, waking Sophia. She lifted James's arm off of her and swung her feet over the side of the bed. He plaited his fingers under his head as she tiptoed across the room.

"Off to bludgeon me to death again, Sophia?" James said without opening his eyes.

"No," she said pulling her chemise over her head.

"Then come back to bed, would you?" he yawned.

"I have work to do," she stood in front of the mirror, braiding her hair to twist it into a loose bun.

"Can't it wait?" he turned on his side, watching her scurry around the room in the early light of dawn, up righting the candelabra and picking up the loose wax that had shattered last night.

"Not unless you want your inheritance to fall to ruin. Cows don't milk themselves."

He sighed to himself, watching her bend down to pick up the pieces on the rug as his cock twitched to life once more. He shook his head. This woman had cursed him; he could swear she had. He barely suppressed the urge to grab her, to pull her back to bed and onto his tumescence, "I'm leaving this morning for London."

"Mm-hmm," she mumbled, acknowledging him.

James clenched his teeth, confounded by her. He burned in the fires of this woman's passion when she was in his arms, but Sophia was cold, haughty and distant every time else. He thought that last night he had changed her heart, made her desire to lay with him.

He wanted nothing more than to say goodbye to her in the only language they commonly knew, and was annoyed that she would choose getting up and dressed before dawn over staying in bed with him. James tampered down his anger, remembering that she was the only person who worked here. He thought about how she had been alone in this big old house, taking care of his uncle and the farm for the last five years.

It was no matter. Soon he'd be back to all that London had to offer and this country girl would fade from his memory. He wouldn't think about her again until he returned in a fortnight to settle the last of the accounts with the barrister. It was foolish to pine after this girl that was little more than his property. He distanced himself from feeling for her, reminded that this was at its core a business arrangement, nothing more. The terms were clear: temporary use of her body in exchange for him fulfilling his uncle's promise to her.

He sat silently and watched her exit the room for downstairs, trying in vain to remove the vision of her in his arms from his thoughts.