Chapter Nineteen

She shouldn’t have scooted out on Derek without so much as a goodbye, but the longer Erin sat in his parlor, the more her stomach had twisted into nauseous knots. What she couldn’t shake now was Mrs. Schauss’s odd reaction when the older woman had caught her slipping out the front door.

“Please don’t go. Please don’t, Miss,” she had said, blocking the exit.

And when Erin firmly asked the older woman to step aside, the servant’s eyes misted with tears.

“So strange,” Erin muttered, gazing out her office window. She sighed and sank into the chair at her desk. Flipping through the pages of her calendar, another wave of dizzying nausea hit. She stared at today’s date. Her hand moved in a flurry of fingertips back and forth along the calendar, examining the dates more closely.

She yanked her hand back and groaned. “Oh, nooooooo.” She’d not only missed her monthly once, she’d missed it twice, and she’d been far too busy of late to even notice.

And now the daily episodes of nausea.

“Good afternoon, you,” David said, walking into her office and promptly taking a seat on the chair opposite her. “You see your father yet?”

Had he just asked her a question? Erin tore her gaze from the calendar. “What?”

David leaned in and crossed his lanky legs at the ankles. “Oh, my. A party last night get the better of you? You look awful.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Thank you very much. I need your nasty comments like I need a hole in the head.” She shoved her chair back, paced to the window, and folded her arms across her chest.

The grating sound of scraping chair legs along the hardwood floor filled the office. She turned and saw David advancing toward her.

He froze, clearly measuring her seething gaze.

“Lord above, Erin. I’m sorry. It’s just that, well, it’s just that you look different somehow — extra tired perhaps. Truly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

She really wasn’t offended, but his timing stank. She sighed and nodded. “I know. I’m sorry for biting your head off.”

Her father hurried past the open office door in flash of woolen trousers and suspenders, grumbling something about “incompetent idiots.”

“What was it you were saying about my father?”

David rolled his eyes. “He’s on a tear to get to the bottom of the latest murder, and there’s been some chatter about trouble at the morgue. Course, the hunters sent into the logging camp to find the bloodthirsty wolves that attacked you turned up nothing, either.”

The morgue. Was that what Gregore had been talking about when he entered Derek’s house?

She frowned and waved her hand. “Father’s been impossible lately. It’s best to avoid him as much as possible these days. Trust me, I know firsthand.”

As she walked home, Erin drew in the fresh air whirling across the bay. Angry steel-gray clouds above threatened a downpour. The thought of returning home another evening to a disappointed Maggie gave her pause, and she slowed her pace. On second thought, perhaps she’d drop by the florist shop to see if Delia were there and available for dinner at a restaurant.

“Whoa, there, now,” she heard a familiar voice say.

She turned to see Derek’s irritable driver, Franz, tugging on leather reins, guiding the horses to the side of the street. The moment the carriage came to a complete stop, Derek exited the carriage door and was by her side in a flash. She gazed at his face, etched with lines of concern.

“Erin. My God, woman. Are you all right?”

She had never been happier to see anyone in her life. Caught off guard, she stared into his eyes in awkward silence as pelts of rain dropped from the charcoal sky, landing in loud flops upon her coat.

“Come,” Derek said, leading her by the arm to his carriage. He guided her inside just as the sky broke open in a deluge of showers. He adjusted the cushioned seat and tossed his hat to the side.

Sparking blue eyes suddenly paled to blue-gray as he gazed at her with an expression she couldn’t place. Sadness? Sorrow? A sudden stab of guilt for leaving him earlier pierced her ribs.

A warm hand slid over hers. “Have dinner with me, please. At my home.”

Without hesitation, she murmured, “Yes, of course.”

Derek rapped the carriage top, and the driver urged the horses forward.

“You left me without a word, Erin. Again.” His tone was smooth, yet firm. Heat radiated from his body, warming the chilly air.

She jutted her chin out. “I wasn’t feeling well.”

He inched closer and looped his arm within hers. “And are you feeling better now?”

Actually, she was much better and hungry for the first time today. She nodded.

He gazed out the window and sighed. “I’ve just returned from freeing your Mr. Dimsdale from jail.”

Erin frowned. “You did? But how?”

“I have my ways.”

Of course he had his ways. He was Derek Rudliff, and nothing about him surprised her anymore. She cleared her throat in an attempt to rid the nagging realization. No doubt, it wouldn’t be long before Frederick showed up on her doorstep with lame excuses for his immoral behavior, begging for her forgiveness.

The steady beat of the iron-hoofed horses matched the rhythm of her heart. Sitting beside Derek, his warm body next to hers, soothed the growing agitation that had plagued her for most of the day.

She gazed out the window. If her life wasn’t complicated enough already, the realization today that she was carrying a child, Derek’s child, was a prickly reminder. Instinctively, she placed her hand upon her small belly.

A fierce rush of wind ripped across the bay with a mighty howl. The carriage shook and shimmied. Tossed like a ragdoll, she shrieked as she was thrown against Derek’s hard chest.

He steadied her shoulders and pulled her close. “There now. It’s just an angry gust, my love.”

She stared out the window, smiling. My love. He loves me, just as I love him.

The driver urged the horses to a faster clip. Naked branches passed by the carriage window, twisting, bending and snapping like the bony fingers of skeletons. Franz soothed the wary horses with calming words as the beasts sidestepped the dangerous terrain.

The carriage stopped in front of Derek’s home. The driver released the carriage door, popped open an umbrella, and handed it to Derek. He helped her exit the carriage, and the two whisked up the path to the covered front porch.

“It’s really coming down now, and the wind is a beast,” Derek said, opening the front door.

She stepped inside, and the heavenly aromas of prepared food made her empty stomach rumble with hunger.

“Come.” Derek removed her coat and bonnet, hung them in the entry armoire, and led her down the hall to the dining room. “Hannah has prepared a meal fit for a famished carnivore.”

While the statement initially gave her pause, she realized what he’d meant. On the long dining table sat a beef roast, a stuffed turkey, and a large ham adorned with glazed cherries, pineapple, and cloves. The size of the shiny china plates paled in comparison to the massive meat dishes perched on large sterling platters. Off to the side, roasted sweet potatoes, glazed turnips, and steamed green beans sat in shiny porcelain bowls. Freshly baked rolls and crocks of creamy butter completed the lovely setting.

Derek smiled. “I hope you’re hungry.” He inched out a dining chair. “Please, sit and enjoy this meal with me.”

The hanging chandelier above the table flickered. Erin smiled and sat. “I think we might lose power.”

“Not to worry.” He gestured for Hannah, who stood watching outside the doorway. She scurried to his side. “Light the candelabras. Miss Richland and I may be dining by candlelight this evening.”

Hannah nodded and left the room. Again, the wind howled, and the massive hanging light above winked in reply.

Erin moaned unintentionally as Derek dug into the roasted meats and filled her plate. The divine aromas made her salivate with such hunger.

After filling both of their plates, he smiled and said, “Shall we dig in?”

Hannah returned with long wooden matches and lit the candelabras on the mahogany sideboard, then placed one at the center of the dining table.

Erin watched as the firelight accentuated the piercing blue gaze following his servant’s every move. She tried to ignore the tingle traveling the length of her spine by clearing her throat and declaring, “This meal looks delicious, Hannah.”

“Thank you kindly, Miss Richland.” Hannah left the room and joined Mrs. Schauss, who stood watching from the darkened hallway, her arms crossed against her chest.

Erin gasped as another howl of wind clipped the eaves outside, and the electricity went out in a flash.

Derek slid his hand over hers. “You’re not frightened, are you?”

“No,” she replied automatically, though the tingle up her backbone jarred once again.

Mrs. Schauss entered the room with two filled goblets. “Your beverages,” she said after placing the chalices above each place setting, next to the water glasses.

Erin glanced inside the cup. “Is this the punch from the party? The recipe handed down to you from long ago?”

“’Tis,” Derek said, evenly. His gaze narrowed as she lifted the chilled goblet to her lips, the small lines etched in his face growing more pronounced.

Erin paused, thinking about the baby growing inside her. “Does the punch contain spirits? I can’t recall.”

Derek’s gaze snapped away from her lips, his eyes deepening to indigo. With a tenor as smooth as silk, he said, “There’s absolutely nothing in that beverage that will harm you, Erin.”

She watched as he lifted his goblet and drank the crimson beverage, his lips curving against the silver chalice and the hollow of his throat wavering with each swallow. The more she watched him drink, the thirstier she became.

She placed the goblet to her lips. One sip, two, three. Warmth spread from her mouth to her chest, seeping slowly into her limbs, instantly countering the icy fingers trailing along her spine.

Harsh gusts of wind shook the outside eaves, and seagulls squawked frantically as pelts of rain splattered like large inkblots against the leaded glass windows beside her.

Heat spread through her torso, warmth widening along the curves of her waist, settling with a pull deep within her pelvis. “The taste is ethereal. The drink is cold, yet the warmth it radiates is similar to drinking a glass of sherry.”

“Indeed,” he whispered, gazing at her over the rim of his chalice.

She ate every morsel on her plate, but Derek had merely picked at his food, appearing, at times, too preoccupied to eat. After she set her napkin on the table, Derek stood and claimed both of their goblets.

He cleared his throat. “Let’s adjourn to the sitting room, shall we?”

His deep voice resonated like the calm before a fierce storm, serene, composed, yet authoritative, demanding attention.

As though her feet had life all their own, Erin followed behind him. She cast her gaze to his broad shoulders spanning the back of his maroon-colored vest and the dark blond hair grazing the stiff collar on his white cotton shirt. Flaming candlelit sconces hissed and flared with each advancing step along the darkened hallway. As she watched him stroll in front of her, the punch spread seductively through her body, warming her in all the right places.

They passed his bedroom, glowing with lit candles and burning orange embers of a dying fire set within the stone hearth.

Tiny sparks of heat spread up her calves and thighs, settling within her privates. Before contemplating, she stopped in place and said, “In here.”

She heard his sharp inhale of breath. Turning, he glanced at the bedroom, then at her. His gaze narrowed. “Are you sure?”

She reached for a goblet in his hand.

He handed her the fuller of the two.

He laced his fingers with hers and led her into the shadowy bedroom. As if the wooden door knew the moment they had entered, it slowly closed shut behind them.

Erin’s eyes widened. “How —”

“Just the breeze blowing through the seals along the windows,” he said, before setting his goblet on the night table.

Erin stared into Derek’s eyes, absorbing the flickers of candlelight dancing in their depths. She took another swallow of punch, and another, then set the goblet next to his.

He took a step forward, gazing into her eyes with an intensity she’d never seen before. Invisible inches stood between them, yet an imperceptible force gathered in the middle. Heat radiated from his body, like liquid fingers penetrating her clothing, finding its way to her plush core.

He squeezed her hand. “Woman, I want you so bad I can taste you.”

His words melted any remaining resolve left within her. There was nothing in the world she wanted more than to make love with Derek.

He clutched her by the neck and drew her close. “You are mine, do you hear me?”

Her breath shuddered within her chest. “I … I do,” she whispered.

Deftly, he lifted her into his arms and laid her on the silky bedding. “Mine,” he repeated.

Standing beside the bed, he towered above her. Slowly, he unbuttoned his vest, his gaze locked upon hers. He draped the garment over the velvet bedroom chair. Following his lead, she began unbuttoning the front of her dress.

“No. Allow me the pleasure of undressing you,” he said, his voice growing deeper with each measured word.

He removed his cotton shirt, revealing a pale, broad chest matted with darker hair. Her yearning for him instantly grew fierce. Her breasts burned, the corset binding and pinching with each deep breath.

He sat beside her on the bed and cupped her chin, angling her face upward toward his approaching lips. He kissed her tenderly, gently coaxing her mouth open with the tip of his tongue. His hand found way to the long row of satin-covered buttons running the length of her dress.

With the release of each button, a warm finger trailed along the sensitive skin between her breasts. The blast of cooler air instantly made her nipples strain beneath the binding undergarments.

Slowly, he moved to the bottom of the bed and removed her shoes, followed by each stocking, his fingers snaking along the curves of her calves.

Silently, she cursed the pinching corset squeezing her breath. She reached for her stays, but his hand was instantly on hers, and she heard the breath catch deep within his throat.

He leaned over her. “No.” He licked his bottom lip. “I will do it.”

Derek slid the dress from her shoulders and gently pulled it down and over her bare feet. Moisture beaded across her neck and chest, and the sensitive space between her thighs slickened. He touched her in such an acquainted way she fought the urge to shudder with each glide of his warm hands across her sensitive skin.

He stood and draped her dress over his discarded garments on the chair. Looming over her near-naked body like an effigy, he said, “Stand.”

The demanding tone of his deep voice made her instantly feel vulnerable. Instinctively, she covered her chest with splayed hands. “What?”

A single eyebrow rose above his smoldering gaze. “Stand so that I may undress you entirely.”

She hesitated, his words drawing her into the blue depths of his commanding eyes, calling her on an indefinable level.

In a flash, he bent and pulled her to her feet. The sheer force of his power made her dizzy and the moisture between her legs intensify.

Firm hands slid from her bare shoulders across her concealed breasts. Her corset throbbed and pinched until she thought she would suffocate. She lifted her lashes from her heated cheeks and whispered, “Do it.”

A low throaty growl of pleasure rose from his throat. Strong, agile fingers untied the dainty satin ribbon resting above the long row of eyehooks. One by one, he unfastened them all, down to her navel.

She stood before him in only her sheer drawers, gulping for air, watching how the glowing amber candlelight licked the bedroom walls with each new breath she drew.

He draped the corset over her dress on the chair, his gaze never drifting from her body. He stepped forward and placed his hand upon her neck, as if to draw her into a kiss. Instead, his hand lingered, a thumb pressing firmly upon the side of her throat.

Her pulse beat violently against his fingertip, and the desire for him to make love to her right then and there was so strong she knew she’d surely go insane if he pulled away now.

She covered his hand with her own. “Kiss me, Derek. Kiss me now.”

As though forced from a dream, his gaze snapped to hers. He moaned and lowered his lips to hers.

Erin closed her eyes, but the flickering images of capricious candlelight skipping across the bedroom walls remained behind her eyelids. The heat roaming through her body intensified, as though moist sparks of fire had ignited every nerve ending in her pleasure zones.

He slid his hand down the curve of her waist, a solitary finger toying with the elastic band of her undergarment. The moment his hand slipped into her drawers, her legs turned to jelly.

He moaned as his finger dipped into her moist cleft. “My God, woman,” he groaned. He bent low and tugged her drawers to the ground in one fluid move.

She held onto his shoulders as she stepped out of the sheer garment. Sprawling out across the silken coverlet, she said, “Make love to me, Derek.”

He quickly removed his trousers and drawers and moved above her, his arms extended out. Though inches separated them, the warmth of his body penetrated every small pore of her skin.

He gazed into her eyes, the dim lighting accentuating the small lines traversing his forehead. He lowered, and a hand instantly slid between her thighs.

She inhaled in jagged breaths, scarcely able to contain the unbearable yearning pulsing within her core.

A solitary finger slid around her slick pearl, and in a single thrust that yanked the breath from her lungs, he slipped a finger inside her. Then two.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed, “I want you so much. I need you. I need you now.”

His moustache grazed her neck. “I’ve waited for this.”

“Me, too, my darling.”

He kissed her neck, pausing at the pulse pounding in the hollow of her throat. “I’ve waited so very long.”

His words barely registered as he moved lower, out of her shadowy view and lifted her legs. She bit down on her lips, barely able to contain the desire swelling within.

The flick of his tongue against her small bud sent a wild current of pleasure tearing through her pelvis. Her thighs shook uncontrollably in his firm hands. She arched her back when he followed a second flick with a deep plunge of his tongue. In and out and all around, his mouth did things she never imagined possible.

He licked and sucked and used his fingers all at the same time, driving her into frenzied passion, left limp, yet tense, gasping for air, thirsty for release. “Oh, Derek, the things you do to me,” she breathed.

He slowly rose up, lowered himself over her, and slid his shaft inside her with a single slick plunge. He gazed into her eyes and grasped her wrists above her head.

The way he moved within her, it was as though he knew every inch of her body and how she would physically respond to his increasing rhythm, making sure to strike her sensitive pearl with each slick stroke.

Still inside her, he paused and nuzzled her neck. “I love you,” he said in a low throaty growl.

She throbbed with need, her insides swelling and growing moister. “Don’t stop, Derek, she whispered. “Take me.”

Warm lips suckled her neck, each kiss more urgent than the last. “Do you love me?” he asked.

Her head spun as he dove deeper, and his nails dug into her wrists. Sensations of both pain and pleasure added to her arousal. “I’m yours, Derek, you know I am.”

His fingernails dug deeper. He plunged again. “Tell me you love me,” he said against her neck. His tongue darted out, tracing a line across her throat.

His breathing intensified as he plunged faster, sending her so close to the edge of ultimate desire she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.

“Say it,” he demanded.

“I do, Derek,” she said, reaching the brink of ecstasy, not caring one morsel that she had bitten her lip so hard she could taste blood. He moved faster and faster until everything went blinding white. She moaned and breathed and tried to yank her wrists free, but he held them like a vise grip. “I love you, Derek. I’ll love you … for all eternity.”