The Devil's Inheritance Ch. 03

"All right. Have either of you worked a farm before?"

"Yes, Miss. We had a farm with cows near Amsterdam when I was very little, so Mama knows what to do. But I don't, so I'll help clean the house like how I used to help Mama for Master James. Is it all right if we stay with you? Master James said you'd say it was a good idea."

Sophia sighed and smiled. She wasn't about to turn away this precocious child and her mother, even if she knew she wouldn't have incurred James's wrath by doing so, "All right."

"I'll tell her," Aletta turned to her mother and spoke to her in Dutch, "De maitresse Sophia zei wij kunnen blijven, Mama."

The woman smiled broadly through the endearing gap in her teeth, "Thank you," she said with a nod, and set off down the hillside toward the barn.

They had worked together throughout the day and for the first time in years Sophia didn't go to bed exhausted. But she was annoyed that they were sleeping in the only servant quarters in the house, with her.

It meant that she would have to put an immediate stop to what she had been doing the last few hot nights: learning her body and trying in vain to quell the desires James had sewn into her ten days before.

With Katje tending after the cows and Aletta helping her clean the house, Sophia's distractions were ended. The fact that she had tossed all night was no help. If Katje's light snoring hadn't kept her awake, thoughts of James had. She had missed out on fulfilling herself last night, her little secret that made the days bearable, and was climbing the walls thinking about him.

Sophia woke up weary and frustrated, the heat and lack of sleep weighing her body down as she worked. She finished pinning the laundry to the line and nearly tripped backward over Aletta.

"Miss Sophia?"

"Oh! Aletta, what is it?"

"Miss? Mama and I are going to town to take the milk to Mr. Finn. Like we did yesterday."

"Dear, you can just call me Sophia. I'm not the Miss of anything. I work the farm same as you."

"But Master James said you were mistress of this house."

Sophia fumed. Mistress of this house, indeed. She was an indentured servant of the land and a sometime mistress— or whore, in truth, to the man who owned it. James had probably told Aletta this so she wouldn't wonder why Sophia would be gone from her bedroom while James was there. She thought about this for a moment and tried to blot out the twinge of appreciation she felt for him trying even a little to spare her embarrassment. She stuck another clothespin on the line. Thinking of James wasn't helping her situation.

James had been on the road since dawn. The heat had been damnable the last four days and he didn't relish the thought of traveling under full sunlight in head to toe mourning garb. Besides the temperature, the obsessive heat for Sophia as he neared the farm made matters worse.

He had ceased tampering down his thoughts of her. He would see her soon enough and his first order of business was inside of her. It wouldn't matter where she was or what she was doing. He would have her as soon as he arrived and not a moment later. As Ashford approached he could only think about her sweet body and the thing he would do to it in only an hour. His horse cantered along the road in time to her name. Sophia... Sophia... Sophia... Sophia...

She watched Katje and Aletta hitch Mr. Farthing's old mare to the cart and set out for Ashford, twittering back and forth to each other in Dutch. Sophia had taken them to town yesterday to meet Mr. Finn and knew that James would approve since it would leave them alone at the house. She shook her head at herself for accommodating him like this, unbidden. The wagon lurched forward and she was alone at last. Sophia had to escape this heat and the perfect opportunity had now presented itself.

The sun was high overhead as she walked out next to the barn by the cool waters of the millpond. Trees lined the path between the building and the pond, partially encircling the far side, shading it from the sun and the view of the road. The creaking of the wooden wheel turning slowly through the water beckoned her onward.

She sat on the wall of the stone enclosure and took off her mobcap, letting her blonde curls fall loose as she swiped her forehead with the white cotton before dipping it in the water. She swabbed her arms. Her shoes and stockings came off next, and Sophie swung her legs over the wall to wet her feet. She sighed, relaxing as she swished her toes through the cool water.

Her fingers started pulling at the strings on her bodice. When it had loosened, Sophia pulled it over her head, exhaling and leaning forward, her breasts resting on her thighs through the cotton of her chemise as she ran her mobcap through the water once more before squeezing water out over her neck. It ran in rivulets over her shoulders and down her back, pooling in drops along her chemise.

She untied her overskirt and scooted it out from under her bottom, pooling the fabric on the other side of the stone in the grass. She looked around once more at the line of trees. Katje and Aletta wouldn't be back for at least two and a half hours. Her heart raced for a minute as she fidgeted back and forth deciding whether or not she dared.

The cool water was too much of a temptation on this August day, and she would need something dry to wear when she got out of the pond. She inhaled once in trepidation, and then lifted her chemise over her head, sunlight falling on her bare skin. With a push off the side of the wall, she splashed into the water.

A chill raced up her spine and she surfaced. The pond was only waist deep this time of year at the near side, slightly deeper as she swam out. Her legs kicked behind her and Sophia felt the sun on her back before dipping below the surface, her hair straightening from the weight of water and falling down her back to her hips. She lay on her back, eyes closed.

The sun shone through her eyelids as she relaxed, turning her vision from red to yellow and finally to light blue. They remained shut. Below the surface of the water, Sophia could hear the sound of the wheel turning in a low muffled churn. Her body lay below the surface except for her face, her breasts, the tops of her thighs, and the tips of her toes.

She felt her nipples start to harden and crinkle from the cold of the water and the delicious feeling of being completely alone and naked in the pond. She started wondering why she had never done this before in the five years she had lived here. Sophia smiled.

James flashed through her mind. The sun had warmed her exposed flesh above the waves and she remembered the heat of his body pressing up against her breasts and thighs as he pinned her to the wall just before the last time they were joined. She unconsciously flitted a hand up to her breast and pinched her nipple, a wetness pooling between her legs that was very different from the water. Her fingers trailed south across her abdomen to delve into the liquid heat emanating from her core.

James saw a familiar cart in the distance ambling down the road toward Ashford after he had turned at the crossroads. The sun glinted off the milk canisters rattling in the back. He strained his eyes to see them. Katje and little Aletta sat high in the seat behind the plodding horse. Aletta waved and yelled out, "Master James!"

Katje smiled at him as James returned the gesture. He pulled back on the reigns, stopping the chaise under the shade of an ash tree and waited as Katje did the same on the opposite side of the road. He spoke to her in Dutch, "Where is Sophia?"

"At the house," Katje said in return, "I saw her walking toward the barn as we were leaving."

"Are you headed toward town?"

"Yes, Miss Sophia showed us the way yesterday."

"Good then. We will see you soon," he tipped the brim of his tricorn hat to them as Katje and Aletta nodded back and smiled. Katje shook the reigns and moved on.

Perfect, he thought. There would be no excuses and no one to disturb them. He tapped the whip lightly against his horse, bringing him to a fast canter, the chaise shaking as the wheels picked up speed over the earth.

It was the longest quarter hour of his life. The light carriage bounced along the road drawing closer to the farm. As James cleared the top of the hillside, he swung the gate open and roped his stallion to the post in front, cart and all. He would attend to him later. More pressing matters lay ahead.

"Sophia?" he opened the front door of the house and called in for her. No answer. He walked through the house to the back porch and down the stairs before jogging down the sloping path, tracing a fast route to the barn. He could hear the blood throbbing in his veins. His need for her was all consuming and he had no problem with the idea of pulling her away from whatever trifle she was doing, carrying her out and laying her on the meadow grass. The idea of the sun on his bare back as he dove into her body electrified his senses. He poked his head in the barn. No Sophia. He disappointedly closed the door and turned the corner to the pond side.

What he saw nearly made his heart stop. James ducked out of sight around the corner. He grew instantly hard, so quickly that his groin ached. James bit down on his thumb to stifle a cursing groan. He couldn't believe his eyes and peered around the corner again just to make sure.

Sophia lay on her back in the water, her legs spread out and her fingers working enthusiastically around her bud. The motion of her fingers sent ripples of over the surface of the water, emanating from her core. Her mouth was open in a gasp and James heard her moan lightly. His beautiful water nymph was unaware of his presence, and he intended to keep it that way. A mischievous smiled curled his lips as he hatched his plan. So she didn't have as great a control over this arrangement as he thought. She had missed him! The bold and wanton exploration of her body was evidence of that.

He took off his riding boots and stockings and placed them next to the barn, then his hat and frock. His feet padded across the grass, removing clothing as he went. He cast his waistcoat in the dirt pathway, followed closely by his cravat. His shirt fluttered down to lay half on the stone retainer and half way in the grass as he stared out at her.

Her little fevered moans drove him mad as he stripped off his breeches, his cock springing free. James didn't want to disturb her until he absolutely had to. He wanted to capture her passion and desire in its fullness. He carefully eased his naked body into the water, painstakingly trying not to disturb the surface or create waves that would give him away. His feet met the bottom and he slowly walked over to where she floated on the surface, edging closer toward her open legs, his erection jutting toward its goal.

Sophia felt her toes curling in ecstasy as she ran her fingers over that secret spot. Memories of James thrusting into her in the moonlight as his hand reached forward to pinch down on the nub and bring her to completion filled her thoughts as her legs spread wider, opening her sex and letting her fingers delve deeper. She was riding the plateau just before that glorious crest she had come to know so well. She felt her body reaching upward, the shudder starting to unfurl in her belly.

Suddenly, a pair of hands dragged down hard on her hips and a heavy heat blaze through her center, filling her completely. Her limbs thrashed in the water as Sophia opened her eyes wide to see James thrust into her. She struggled to catch her breath, the shock and rapture of his sudden entry too much for her to handle. Sophia exploded, screaming her completion out loud, her head tilted. James gathered her up as her back arched her body into his waiting arms, her legs squeezing like a vice around his torso as her body bucked furiously against his.

James held her close as she came, groaning through closed teeth at the exquisite contrast between the cool of the water and the pulsing heat of her tight channel squeezing around him in fluttering waves. His eyes closed as she shifted back and forth on his cock and smiled at the heavenly feel of her body closed around him. He felt her breath coming in pants as she recovered, head leaned on his chest and stayed still within her.

Sophia thought this was a dream, as though her visions and memories had summoned him to her. She opened her eyes finally and looked up at him, "James, how did you— ah!"

James thrust into her to the hilt, "Questions later," he said huskily, "We're not done yet."

He dove for her left nipple, sucking it deep into his mouth as Sophia moaned and flinched, still tender from her orgasm. He pulled away and thrust back into her, cradling her back. Her hands were wrapped around the base of his neck and she realized that this was the first time she was seeing his naked flesh in full light.

His lightly tanned arms tensed as they held her, the sinews underneath straining and cording with each thrust forward. The muscles of his neck tensed as well, a vein standing prominently out as he dragged her downward. His hardened chest was covered with a light dusting of dark curls that stopped at his torso before picking up in a thin line under his navel.

She watched the glaze of passion wash over his face as he looked down at her naked form joined to his under the water. Their eyes met once more and James brought her back up to him, the hardened points of her breasts grazing and rubbing against his chest. He kept his smoldering eyes locked with hers, not letting her look away as he ran his hand up her back and through her hair.

James splayed his left hand on the center of her back and brought his right across the front of her. He massaged a breast and ran the flat of his thumb over her nipple before lifting her breast back to his waiting mouth. He smoothed his hand down over the flesh of her stomach. His hand traced a staccato downward in time to his thrusts until it wove its way through the blonde hair above where they were joined together. He unlatched from her breasts to watch as his hand dove between them.

Sophia jerked forward against him as his fingers found her nub, lightly rolling it between two digits as she craned back away from him, both watching as his hand worked between them. Their eyes came up to meet again as a wave began to roll over Sophia. James stared hard into her as she lost control with her eyes locked to his, arching her back upward.

James pitched into her again, the pleasure of this moment almost more than he could bear. Sophia's fingernails raked down his back leaving small red lines in their wake, as the blissful paroxysms shook her. He filled her, plunging deep into the core of her being in long rhythmic thrusts.

Sophia felt his cock grow within her as James leaned his forehead into hers, his voice shuddering with each penultimate thrust. With a final spasm he climaxed, slamming deep into her and throwing his head back as he called out to the open sky. He rested his head on her shoulder and stayed within her until he softened. Walking with her wrapped around him to the edge of the pool, he swung her body into his arms and lifted her onto the wall before lifting himself out of the water next to her.

Sophia sat there, her wet hair falling about her as she felt his seed slip out of her and cool quickly on the smooth stone wall. Her eyes remained lowered, cast over the calming surface of the lake in sharp contrast to her tortured mind. How could she have done something so brazen? And to have James of all people discover her?

James tilted her chin up to his and looked at her with a playful expression on his face, "So, my dear, did you enjoy yourself while I was away?"

She felt crimson heat creeping up to her face and turned away from his caress with a shudder, "I have to go. Katje and Aletta will be home soon."

"They won't return for at least half an hour," he said, running his rejected fingers down the front of her collarbone until they fell across Sophia's breast and deliberately stopped to circle around her nipple, the flesh tensing against her will. He came up to whisper into her ear, "And I'd like to know how I came to find you here... with your fingers in your—"

"You've already taken your pleasure, James, what more could you want?" she said angrily, hopping off the wall and gathering up her clothes. He was dumbfounded. After the things he had just witnessed and after the way they had passionately surged together, why was she being so avoidant with him now? Frustration and anger rose in him as she walked up the hill away from where he sat.

"You're awfully prudish," he yelled after her, "for a girl who was just frigging herself at midday in a millpond!"

He heard Sophia huff in feminine outrage as she marched toward the house, slipping her chemise over her head as she walked. He watched her wondering why he bothered with all this, accommodating her when she continued to scorn him at every turn. His traitorous cock gave him his answer, twitching at the sight of her swishing bottom as she walked up the pathway, sunlight penetrating her chemise as if it weren't there.

James threw his shirt on and hitched up his breeches, carrying the rest of his clothes up the hill after her. He would tame this shrew if it took him the rest of the weekend, starting with her tongue.

*

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful feedback on this story! My goal is to post a chapter every two weeks, so look for more updates soon. If you liked this part, please check out the previous two chapters, and feel free to vote and/or leave a comment! ~Sushi Taco