by Monica Burns
“Who was he? Someone you loved?” The moment he asked the questions, Percy experienced a possessiveness for her that told him he was treading dangerous ground.
“No,” she said with a shake of her head and eyed him with distrust. “If you didn’t tell your nephew about Timothy, then who did?”
The immediate return to the original question said she wasn’t about to explain who this person was. Her stiff, controlled manner reminded him of the demeanor Sebastian had often exhibited before his brother had married Helen. He wondered if she realized how strong she was. Percy clenched his jaw as he struggled to find the words that would explain the special ability his family had—he had. In a violent motion, he shoved his hand through his hair. How in the hell was he supposed to explain his family’s clairvoyant abilities or his own for that matter? With a sigh he studied the shadows darkening the quiet garden.
“Well?” Her hand grasped his forearm until her fingers were biting down into his skin through his coat sleeve. The single word question and physical gesture were a challenge, a gauntlet thrown down in a demand that didn’t surprise him. Percy turned his head toward her as he tried to explain the unexplainable.
“My family has more than one trait we share. Our tendency toward reckless behavior is legendry among the Set, but there’s one talent several family members have that isn’t as well-known.”
Percy paused for a moment as he remembered the family’s reaction to Constance’s discrete readings for members of the nobility. To say Sebastian had been unhappy with the knowledge was an understatement. The patriarch of the family didn’t have the gift, and while he’d never dismissed the various predictions his siblings had made over the years, it had always been his preference not to discuss the issue outside the family.
He glanced down at Rhea’s hand pressing into his arm and drew in a deep breath then released it. Other than Jamie, he was the only male in the family to possess an intuitive nature. The Rockwood women were the ones who possessed the real ability in the family. His gift was a shadow of what his sisters and Aunt Matilda possessed. Percy gritted his teeth and steeled himself for what was to come.
“My family has the gift of sight.”
“I don’t understand.” Rhea studied him with a confused frown.
“The Gaelic word for it is the an dara sealladh. It’s run through the family for centuries. For those who possess the ability, they’re able to see bits and pieces of the past and future.” At his quiet explanation, Rhea jerked her hand away from him and shrank back into the opposite corner of the bench.
“Do you take me for a fool?” she snapped. “If this is your way to avoid telling me the truth about how you came to know about Timothy, I find it despicable.”
“I would never take you for a fool, Rhea. In fact, I’d hoped never to tell you about my family’s ability.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Rhea sprang to her feet, and he quickly followed suit. As she turned to leave the alcove, he caught her arm. The electric current that streaked up his arm caught him by surprise, but he ignored it as he forced her to look at him.
“I am not a liar,” he bit out harshly. “The first time I heard this Timothy’s name was when Jamie mentioned him this evening.”
“Are you trying to tell me that your nephew has this gift as well?” Rhea sneered with skepticism.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he said with frustration. Her skepticism wasn't unsurprising, but his need to ensure she believed him was. Jamie’s abilities surpass everyone else’s in the family.”
“And I suppose you’re telling me that you have this gift as well.”
The sarcasm in her voice scraped across his senses, and he jerked his hand away from her. It wasn’t the first time he’d wished he was incapable of having visions. But the scorn in her voice stung more than he liked. When he didn’t reply she narrowed her gaze at him. Suddenly her eyes widened in bewildered astonishment.
“That night in the museum,” she whispered as she paled with fear and panic. “You knew. You knew who I was.”
“No, I didn’t know who you were.” Percy shook his head in denial. “I’d had a dream about you, but the only thing the an dara sealladh showed me was your eyes. A beautiful pair of violet eyes filled with fear and pain. I knew you were in trouble, but I didn’t know how to find you, and when I did, I wasn’t able to help you.”
Rhea stared at him in silence. Confusion mixed with fear and distrust flitted across her face, and his body tensed as he waited for her to flee. When she remained immobile, he eyed her cautiously. After a long moment, she met his gaze steadily.
“Have you had any other…other visions about me?” The question tightened his muscles until they were rock hard. Percy jerked his head in an affirmative manner.
“Yes,” he muttered.
“Today?”
“Yes.” Short and abrupt was the best he could manage at the moment because his jaw ached as if he’d taken a jab from a sparring partner at the club.
“What did you see?” The question held the smallest hint of trepidation, which was almost buried beneath the strength he’d come to admire in her.
“You were surrounded by a group of children.” Deliberately, he refrained from sharing the image of her fighting with Ruckley.
“The children,” she murmured with a nod of her head. A second later, her gaze locked with his as if knowing he was holding something back. “What else.”
“I saw you struggling with a man I assume was Ruckley,” he said softly. She flinched and Percy stepped forward to rest his hands on her shoulders. “I won’t let him hurt you anymore, Rhea. I give you my word.”
For a moment, she appeared ready to argue before she dropped her head and nodded. Beneath his hands her tremor vibrated into him. Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms in a protective embrace. She didn’t protest, but melted into him. It felt right holding her like this with her body burrowing into his and her cheek pressed into his shoulder. He tried to discard the thought, but it was impossible to do so. A soft sigh escaped her as she straightened and lifted her head to look at him.
“I’m beginning to think you should be called Sir Percy.” The small smile curving her mouth made him smile in return.
“Why is that?” he chuckled.
“Because you seem to have the penchant for taking on the role of a knight in shining armor.” Her observation made him arch his eyebrows before he laughed. When she eyed him with puzzlement, he laughed again.
“I own a white gelding I’m partial to riding every morning.” The confession made her eyes widen in surprise before she laughed. It was a pleasant sound, and he liked knowing he was responsible for it.
“Then I really will have to begin referring to you as Sir Percy.”
“Somehow, I think you’ll find a way to mock me with that title.”
“Of course not,” Rhea said with a distinct flash of mischief in her eyes.
She had the look of a woman free of any cares. It made her beautiful. Without thinking, Percy ran his thumb across her bottom lip. His touch made her draw in a sharp breath, and her violet eyes shimmered with something undefinable as her gaze locked with his. The tip of her tongue flicked out to wet her upper lip, and his entire body hardened in reaction to the innocent act.
“You’re a complex woman, Rhea Bennett.”
“Am I?” she said as a soft pink blush crested over her high cheekbones. It created a sudden, acute need to taste her sweetly-shaped mouth.
“Yes, and I wonder if you have any idea how strong and courageous you are.”
“I think you must have had too much port after dinner.” She brushed the compliment aside, but he could tell she’d enjoyed the flattery.
“And if I were to say you’re beautiful, would you blame that on my imbibing port as well?”
“Don’t mock me.”
Although she rejected his compliment quickly, there was just a hint of pleasure on her face. Percy suddenly realize
d he’d spoken the truth. She was beautiful at this precise point in time. The disconcerted look on her face had softened her eyes to a dark purple and her mouth was parted slightly in a silent, yet innocent, invitation.
“I would never mock you, Rhea,” he said quietly.
Without thinking, Percy bent his head and lightly caressed her mouth with his. A small gasp of surprise escaped her, but she didn’t retreat. Unable to stop himself, he slowly deepened the kiss as he tightened his arms around her. She came willingly, and a rush of pleasure coursed through his blood. With a gentle nip on her lower lip, he enticed her into parting her mouth beneath his. As he probed the honeyed sweetness of her warm mouth, she stiffened against him.
For the briefest of moments, he thought she would push herself free of his embrace. But she didn’t. Instead, her tongue tentatively mated with his. With each stroke of his tongue against hers, desire pounded its way into every inch of his body. There was a natural sensuality about her that ignited a fire inside him. Even the quiet scent of vanilla and citrus wafting off her skin was intoxicating.
Desire guided his hand across her waist and upward until his fingers stroked the rounded curves of her breasts just above the edge of her bodice. What would she feel like in his hand? Images of her naked in his bed heightened the desire surging through his body. The pictures in his head made his cock stiffen. With each thrust of his tongue against hers, he imitated the carnal act he wanted to experience with her. To his surprise and delight, she pressed her body more intimately into his.
Eager to taste more of her, his lips left hers to caress the edge of her jawline and then the silky smooth curve of her neck. A low moan escaped her as she arched her body into his, and the feminine softness of her thigh pressed into his erection. He didn’t know if her action was a deliberate or unconscious response to his caresses, but it drove him to seek her mouth again.
Hot and sweet her mouth was tantalizing, and the taste of her made him realize how much he wanted to have her beneath him. The thought of pleasuring her body with his made him kiss her with a fierce urgency. The hunger driving him was more intense than anything he’d experienced with any woman. And he’d had more than his fair share of liaisons over the years.
He swallowed the soft mewl rolling out of her then jerked as her hand brushed across his cock. Instinctively his hips thrust forward as her thumb stroked the length of him. The erotic touch tugged a dark groan out of him as he deepened their kiss. Another moan escaped her, and he swallowed the sound with his mouth.
From the sweetness of her scent to the sugar-spun taste of her lips, everything about her made his body ache with a painful need that surprised him. Pleasurable tension tightened his erection as it silently demanded a release. With each brush of her tongue against his, the desire barreling through him intensified.
Her response was passionate and unrestrained. It illustrated the fiery spirit running deep beneath her cool, serene countenance. The fire in her was equal to his own, and he struggled to control the arousal flooding his muscles as a voice deep in his mind shouted a warning. The moment her hand brushed against his cock once more, he realized he was completely lost.
§ § §
Percy’s scent drifted beneath her nose as the heat of his kisses singed her mouth. She’d never allowed the men who’d bought and used her body to kiss her. It had been her way of blotting out the horror. But this was different. Even though she recognized his arousal, his actions weren’t those of a man concerned only with his satisfaction. With each kiss he coaxed her to take part in the mutual pleasure of their embrace. It was a heady emotion. Fire streaked through her as she returned his kiss with a fervor that surprised her almost as much as it excited her. Her exhilaration was enhanced by the warm, spicy smell of him as she breathed him into her senses. Palms braced against his chest, the beat of his heart pulsed through his clothing into the tips of her fingers. The rapid pounding of his heart gave her a sense of power. It was a power she’d never known before.
The strength of his caress demanded surrender, but it didn’t demand utter submission. It vibrated its way through her, and she clung to him as his mouth grazed its way across her cheek. Fire warmed her skin as his lips blazed a trail of kisses down the side of her neck. The sensations it aroused inside her were foreign, but intensely pleasurable. As his mouth brushed over the tops of her breasts, her entire body exploded with one sensation after another.
With every kiss, he ignited a firestorm that threatened to consume her. Between her thighs, the core of her sex throbbed with intense pleasure until she grew weak in the knees. The potency of the sensations spiraling through her drove a need to have him touch her intimately—to fill her. Desire rose to a fine-tuned pitch inside her until she released a moan of pleasure as her body throbbed with an unrestrained, wild passion.
She didn’t think. She simply acted as she pressed her hips into his in a suggestive fashion. Her hand slid down across his chest to his waist then over his hard length. The moment she ran her finger along his erection, he shuddered violently against her. The intensity of his reaction startled her, but pleased her at the same time.
When she stroked him once more, a groan rumbled deep in his chest then escaped his lips in a quiet growl. The sound encouraged her to stroke him again. Another primitive sound rolled out of him. A second later, he captured her mouth in a hard kiss that reflected the same raw desire flowing through her veins.
In the back of her mind, she tried to understand why his touch excited her so much. She’d never expected to ever feel anything for a man. But this man was different. His touch ignited feelings inside her that were as intense as they were alarming. She didn’t question it. She simply reveled in the fiery pleasure sluicing through her veins. Eagerly her tongue mated with his in a passionate dance that renewed the ache between her legs. She was blind to everything except him and the way he made her senses come alive.
Without warning, he suddenly thrust her away from him in an abrupt move. Bereft of his embrace, she stared after him in shock. He put several feet between them and turned away from her. Stark and visceral, her body cried out its protest at the loss of his heat. Confusion wrapped an icy blanket around her as she fought to steady her erratic breathing. With a sudden clarity of thought, she realized why he’d rejected her so suddenly. The manner in which she’d responded to his kisses—caressed him. He knew the truth. No well-bred lady would act as she just had. He’d realized she was a whore.
The knowledge chilled her as she acknowledged her failure to show restraint. She’d opened herself up to Percy in a way that betrayed what she was. The realization mortified her as the depth of her shame sliced into her the same way Ruckley’s whip had left its mark on Timothy. Hot tears pressed against her eyelids as she fought to keep them from flowing down her cheeks.
Terrified she might fail in her efforts to maintain her composure, she turned and headed back toward the house. The best way to save herself from further humiliation was to put as much distance between her and the Rockwoods as she could. She’d only gone a few feet when Percy’s strong hand caught her arm and dragged her to an abrupt halt. Not about to reveal how deep his rejection had affected her, Rhea blinked back her tears. She had no intention of furthering her humiliation by becoming an object of pity.
“Rhea—”
“Let go of me,” she said fiercely as she tried to pull free of his grasp.
“Not until you accept my apology.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mr. Rockwood,” she said with a calm stoicism that sent relief dashing through her. The serene façade she’d perfected under Ruckley’s control had returned.
“I think there is,” he said firmly. “It was wrong of me to kiss you. You’re a guest here. You should feel safe from unwanted advances.”
“The idea that I’m afraid of you is not only ludicrous, it’s the height of arrogance,” Rhea snapped as she realized she was afraid. She was afraid of herself. The way she’d responded to his touch terrified her.
She’d been engulfed in a blaze of passion that had consumed her to the point of being oblivious to anything resembling rational thought. She never believed it possible a man could make her feel desire so profoundly. Determined not to reveal her fear, she met his gaze with one of defiance. Although she was certain her emotions were confined behind a wall of serenity, the way his eyes narrowed with assessment alarmed her.
“If you’re not afraid, then why are you running away?”
“I am not running away,” she snapped. “I simply have no wish to be an object of pity.”
“What in the name of hell would make you think I pity you?” The defensive note in his voice caught her off guard. Clearly incensed by her statement, his brown eyes were dark with indignation. Unwilling to expose her deepest fears, Rhea tilted her chin upward.
“I would think that obvious to anyone. The moment I responded to you in a manner that no…respectable woman would, you realized I was soiled goods. Your reaction is understandable. But I have no wish to be pitied for my past.” Bitterness wove its way through her as she swore to make Ruckley pay for destroying her life. Percy shook her slightly, and her gaze met his.
“My reaction to your—my reaction had nothing to do with your past,” Percy snarled. “I pushed you away because I was on the verge of losing control and making love to you on that damn bench. Pity is the last thing I feel for you”
His confession stunned Rhea, and she stared up at him in open-mouthed amazement. The strong line of his jaw was rigid with tension, and the intensity of his gaze made her heart skip a beat as she saw the banked blaze of passion darkening his eyes. Slow to recover from her surprise, she swallowed hard beneath Percy’s intent gaze. The desire ebbed from his expression, and he shook his head as he studied her with puzzlement.
