The Devil's Inheritance Ch. 06

"You told me that night that you loved me..."

"...And I meant every word of it. But I learned that we were both unwitting pawns in my uncle's quest to keep me here."

"What do you mean?"

He paused for a moment, "My uncle told you that he was deeding the land to you as a trust provided that you pass your term of indenture, marry and produce heirs. Did he ever say anything beyond that?"

She thought for a moment, watching as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together before her very eyes, "He said a few times that he had a husband in mind for me. That I would meet him one day, but he said once that he hoped it wasn't soon..." James broke away from her for a moment and came back with a folded note from his pocket, handing it to Sophia as her lips mouthed the name on the front. James Gardiner. He spoke as she read it, wide-eyed, "The man whom he spoke of was me. He knew that I would want you. Powerfully."

She placed the letter on the table, folded over her trust to the farm and looked up at him as he moved in closer to her, bringing his arm tightly closed around her waist. She could feel his desire for her pressed against her abdomen, the heat from his body matching the warmth radiating from her core. His mouth returned to hers and a small moan escaped her lips.

It had been too long since he had held her like this and images in her head of James moving powerfully inside of her and holding her body against his skin warred with the images she had of children and young mistresses cast out once their men tired of them. She wasn't a fool. James was a wealthy landowner and tradesman and she was the bastard daughter of a dead laundress. No matter how much he professed to love her he would have to marry for heirs, eventually.

"But the great David Farthing couldn't foresee my falling in love with you, Sophia. I vowed I would never marry by his bidding. And so in my cowardice I ran."

Her fears had been confirmed. She knew he couldn't marry her, and she didn't want to hear from him right now that she would be his mistress. She silenced him with a kiss. Just for tonight. She loved him and needed him beyond reason right now. Tomorrow morning, Sophia would break both of their hearts and tell him that she couldn't be his mistress and that she needed to be alone on the farm. It was what was best for their child. Unbeknownst to him, she would always have a piece of him to treasure. But in this moment she ached with her desire for him, "Please... can we just let that go, then? James, it's been too long... I need you..."

He responded by picking her up around the waist and bringing her lips to his as she swayed on the tips of her toes. He was pleased that she wasn't wearing that binding stay and her curves were unbound below the dress, "As you wish, my lady."

James picked her up and carried her in his arms toward the staircase, delighted to be back at the farm where he belonged. He ascended each step carefully, pausing once they were at the landing to let her down and kiss her again, moving his mouth to her jaw line and kissing toward her ear before whispering to her, "I love you, Sophia."

"I love you, too," she said, her heart breaking with what she would have to do tomorrow. She knew that it was best for all three of them if she let him move on with his life and let her child grow up without the specter of abandonment hanging over its head. She had promised her child that she would never put him through the hell in which she had lived. But for now, she would share one last night with James.

He kissed down Sophia's breasts, the orbs cast golden like her dress and hair as the sun poked in under the awning. He picked her up again and carried her into the bedroom, laying her across the sheets as he ran his hand up one smooth leg. This had almost been too easy. The fight in her that he loved so much was subdued and muted.

"Sophia," he said pausing to look up into her eyes again, "are you sure you're all right? Is anything wrong?"

"No," she lied, "Nothing's wrong. I missed you. Just... let's just enjoy each other tonight," she said as James smiled and kissed her. She felt her heart crumple in guilt, but told herself that this was for the best. James moved his hand up to grip her thigh, pulling her upward and taking her dress up above her waist until he could lift it off of her, chemise and all.

He looked down at her, pleased. She'd been eating more; her curves rounded out and supple before him. He stripped off his cravat and waistcoat, unbuttoned his breeches and threw them and his shirt to the floor, joining her naked flesh on the bed. He would enjoy her tonight, and every night after that, he thought to himself. He lay alongside her and held her to him, feeling her breasts crush up against his chest, her legs parting as one of his moved between them. James sighed as his cock nestled in, pressed against the hot silky skin of her thigh. His thoughts drifted to the letter as he kissed her and a light filled his heart.

James was the master of his own destiny; and he chose her. Sophia was his mate, perfect for him in every way from how she challenged him when they argued to how she danced for him when he played. He wanted to marry her. He broke off their kiss and rose above her, looking down into her eyes. His hands caressed her skin as the warmth of the idea filled him. His uncle had carefully planned enticing James back to the farm with this woman, but his love for Sophia was his own choice. He wasn't about to lessen her part in his life just to spite David. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"James?" she said, breaking him out of his revelation, "what are you thinking about?"

He smiled down at her, "It can wait until morning."

He renewed his kiss and rolled with them, lifting her above them. She looked down at him and consciously wiggled her thigh against his hard cock, watching as he closed his eyes and sucked air in through his teeth. Sophia wanted all of him tonight. She knew that this was her last night to be with this man, or any man truthfully, and Sophia decided to make every moment count; she needed to give him as much pleasure as she could before she had to say goodbye to him forever.

She moved down between his thighs and gathered his pulsing flesh into her hand. James tilted his head up to watch her take this initiative on her own, eager to taste him. She knelt down and brought her open lips around the head, eliciting a sharp moan from James. He brought his hands to her head to run his fingers through the strands of her hair, straining to keep himself from forcing her down onto his cock. He watched the curve of her ass rose high in the air behind her as she crouched over him and felt the exquisite pull on his flesh once again as she enveloped him within her hot mouth, rising up before licking the head with her tongue.

She relished in the taste of him, a mix of pepper, sage and nutmeg that blended into a scent that was distinctly him, and distinctly arousing. She moaned against his cock, the hum of her voice vibrating the sensitive tip against the back of her throat. James hissed and pulled away from her as she looked into his eyes with uncertainty.

He paused a moment, then pulled her up to him again, rolling her under his body with a kiss before breaking away to look into her eyes, "Trust me, my love. As much as I enjoy releasing in your mouth, that's not what I need from you tonight."

"What do you need?" she rasped, her voice low with desire.

"All of you," he said, his eyes darkening. Sophia felt her breathing hitch and the vulnerability of her body pinned underneath his to the mattress as he spoke, "I can't take anything less than all of you."

He bit down lightly on where her neck joined her shoulder before trailing his tongue down to her puckered nipple, swirling the tip around the crinkles of pink flesh and suckling it deep into his mouth. His fingers danced across the skin of the other, pinching it in synchronicity to each time his teeth drew up its mate. Sophia writhed underneath him, her back arching up and lifting her breasts higher. James grasped his hands around her waist, running them down the sides, his thumbs trailing the rows of ribs as his mouth descended to her navel to swirl inside, and then kissing her womb with light pecks as he made a circle of kisses across her mound.

Sophia watched him kiss, unbeknownst to him, the place where their child grew and felt her eyes start to water before James thrust her back into the pleasure of the moment by darting his tongue across her swollen bud. She craned her legs apart instantly, her body rocked backward as he teased her before pulling away to blow on the soft hairs covering it. She mewled a whimper, eager to have the heat of his mouth on her again. James looked up at her and pushed two fingers slowly into her canal, feeling her nectar coat his hand as he curled them within her.

With his ring finger he delicately pushed against her anus, watching the surprised expression cross her face before her eyes went glassy once more with pleasure. He swirled it around once more, hearing her moan deeply, feeling her start to clench around the invading digit. James was swept away momentarily by the thought of slowly entering her beautiful ass, the ring of her anus clenching down around his cock, the shock and vulnerability written across her face as he carefully pushed deep inside her.

The thought almost made him lose control. He calmed himself. There would be a lifetime of opportunity to explore that. But tonight he needed to feel her under his body and touch her womb from the inside. James continued to wiggle his small finger inside her, steadying her with the palm of his hand on her stomach as he lowered his lips to her waiting sex. Nothing had tasted as good to him before and he drank in her cries of pleasure as he filled and covered her completely with his hands and mouth.

Sophia brought her hands up through her hair to the side of her head, thrashing and moaning, the pleasure of what he was doing to her becoming too much. She was shocked when he had touched her... down there... but like every other way he had ever touched her she felt nothing but desire for more. Her body thrashed as he thrust three fingers within her in unison, his tongue twisting around her nub and lapping up her juices. She felt the wave within her building, slowly at first before crashing down, her back arching off the bed as James withdrew his fingers from her and sucked her pearl gently into his mouth.

He steadied her hips, feeling them start to close in as her hand flew to his head, pushing him down, her neck craned back and her mouth opened in a silent cry. James cradled her lower back with his hands until she fell back to the bed. He immediately sprung up over her body, lifting her thighs with his hips. He couldn't stand it any longer. For almost a full month he had needed to be within her and had held out for as long as possible. Sophia clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

James leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth. Sophia tasted what she imagined must be her essence on his lips. He carefully fitted his body over hers and held himself at her gate. Pulling away from her lips, he looked into her eyes, "I love you Sophia," he said, thrusting forward into her, "I'll always love you."

Sophia grasped him and wept from the pleasure of him filling and completing her for the last time, "I love you, James. Please don't ever forget that I love you."

She gazed up at him as he rose over her, his body guiding them through tense minutes of pleasure as he angled downward inside her, plunging as deep as he could join their bodies together. Sophia wished this would never end; that she could lock them together in this moment for all time. She responded by lifting her legs higher along the sides of his body, drawing her back down to brush over her skin with his hard chest, his abdomen curling and arching with each new movement into her tight channel.

He pushed into her, taking her in deep strokes, his control shredded and his being surrendered to her. Sophia clenched tightly around his cock, milking it within her as he drove into her. Her keening cries mixed with his gasps and punctuated groans as James pushed into her, rhythmically. His body needed more, received more, and needed even more from her as she buckled around him, feeling the waves of her orgasm once again. He felt Sophia rise up again underneath him, her fingers clawing into his back before James was driven over the edge with her.

He lay within her, his head lying beside hers, watching a single tear roll down her calm face. He kissed it away and pushed deeper inside of her with a shudder, overwhelmed by the contentment he finally felt. For the first time in his life he was exactly where he needed to be. Sophia wasn't an escape for him or a distraction. She was his reality, and one that he would be part of for the rest of his life. He whispered to her how much this meant, how much he loved her as another tear meandered down her cheek.

Sophia felt him stay within her, her mind beleaguered by longing and sadness. She desperately didn't want to let him go. He felt so perfect and she knew that if life and the world were fair and just, she would get to have James forever. But experience and the coldness of existence had taught her enough. She felt him caress her skin as he softened within her, and then rolled to the side taking her with him. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon and both of them were exhausted.

James curled up with her nestled in the crook of his arm as she started to drift off. He watched her close her eyes and lean in closer to him before shutting his own, vaguely noticing a bowl full of apples sitting on the nightstand as he drifted off into restful sleep.

Sophia woke up to a strong streak of sunlight through the crack in the curtains piercing the room, winding across the sheets of the bed and over their intertwined bodies. She felt dizzy all ready and looked back at James, trying to carefully get out of bed so as not to wake him. She felt her stomach turn over and ran across the room, trying her best to be quiet as she spit up bile into the chamber pot. Sophia gasped and heaved once more before standing up. Her hand dropped down her belly to cradle her womb, smoothing over the skin and whispering to her baby that it would be all right.

"Sophia..."

She spun around to face that voice, turning white as a sheet as her wide fearful eyes met James.

He sat up in bed, his world reeling. Their last night together before he left flashed through his mind. She had been dizzy while he played the violin and nauseous the following morning. He'd thought it was the stay, and she had made the excuse that it was dinner. The tailor's apprentice said that she looked ill when he had questioned him about her. Then there was the bowl full of bland apples in the room on the dresser when she had never mentioned liking them at all before. His mind connected all this information, "Are you... are you carrying my child?"

Her knees gave way. She steadied herself on the dresser as James got out of bed and strode across the room to her, catching her in his arms. He tilted her chin up so her eyes met his. She just stared up at him paralyzed, her breathing shallow and her face pale.

"Please answer me," he said looking at her pleadingly, moving a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. He knew. Sophia felt her heart beating out of her chest. She watched James slowly smile down at her and started to relax as he trailed a hand down her ribs to her womb, his fingers brushing over the skin before cupping his palm firmly around her belly.

"Since when?" he whispered back.

"Our first night... I think."

He looked back up at her with a wide smile, his eyes dancing, "Well. That simplifies things, then."

"What do you mean?"

"Get dressed," he said, playfully smacking her bottom, "We're going into town."

"Why?" she said, confused.

"We're going to see the vicar, then the town doctor," he said, pacing the room.

"Why?"

"Because I'm marrying you; if you'll have me, Sophia," he looked at her awkwardly and dropped down to one knee before her, taking her hand, "Will you marry me, Sophia?"

She looked down at him in shock, "James, you don't have to marry me just because I got with child."

"I would have asked you to marry me anyway, and I should have asked you as soon as I had made up my mind to do so," he placed his hand on her womb once more, splaying his fingers across her skin, "This simply means that we'll have to do it sooner than I expected."

Sophia looked down into his eyes as he reverently touched her womb waiting for her answer, "Yes," she said, a smile creeping over her face, "Yes! But, is it me you really want to be your wife or are you—"

James stood up in front of her and covered her mouth with his, kissing her protests away. His lips possessed her; his arms twining around her as she leaned forward into his embrace, feeling his arms hold her to his body. A hand came up through her hair as he mated his tongue with hers before pulling back and looking at her passion drenched face.

"There," he said, "does that answer your question?"

* * *

Epilogue

Sophia rocked back in the chair of the bedroom, looking down her breast at the pair of blue eyes staring wide up at her. Pink gums sucked and gnashed at her nipple before letting go, sated. She pulled little David away and lifted him onto her knee, bounced him gently and rubbing his back.

"You know, it's times like these he makes me jealous."

Sophia turned around startled to see James standing in the doorway, resting against one arm. He walked into the room and leaned over his wife to pick up his son, bringing the infant to his shoulder, bouncing and patting his back until he burped. She smiled at her husband and started closing the front of her gown.

"Do you have to put them away so quickly?" James walked over to the crib and set little David down with a blanket as he cooed at his father.

"Oh stop it, James," Sophia said smiling, "You saw plenty of them last night."

"Ah, and what about tonight?"

Sophia raised the hem of her skirt to the top of her thighs and crossed one bare leg over the other, watching the fire in his eyes smolder at the unexpected tease of flesh, "That my dear husband, depends entirely on how long you wish to stay up." James took Sophia by the hands and stood her to face him, bringing her in for a kiss. His hands wrapped around her middle and hoisted her in the air as she shrieked in surprise, wrapping her legs around his waist and laughing, "When I said 'up' this wasn't really what I had intended."

"I know exactly what you intended, wife," he said, knowingly grinding his hips into hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before pulling back to see his face, "Well, this position is a little familiar—"

"As it should be," James interrupted her, "We stood in this exact place as we are now a year ago, tomorrow."

Sophia flushed and was flooded with memories of her gripping the stalk of the candelabra and tripping backwards over the base before James had wrapped his arms around her and thrust into her depths in the full moonlight. Her mind wandered to their interlaced fingers as they lay in afterglow, the first hesitant sign of love they had shared, after he had provided her with the seed that had conceived their son.

James gave her a peck on the tip of her nose, "Happy early anniversary."

She smiled wickedly at him before smashing her lips against his. Sophia ran her hands through his hair and squeezed her body tighter around James, giving him a kiss he wouldn't soon forget.