Gilded Hearts (The Shadow Guild Series)

by Christine d'Abo

  “Oh, no.” David’s frown morphed back into a grin. “She’s our butler. And our housekeeper. And on occasion our bodyguard. I don’t know what we’d do without her.”

  “I’ll show you the way. David, please don’t blow anything up with guests in the house.”

  “That’s disappointing, but I’ll do my best.”

  Somehow, Samuel didn’t quite believe his sincerity.

  The room was the most comfortable bedchamber Piper had ever seen in her life. The bed was too large for the narrow quarters, but the mattress was plush and the linens clean. There was a small privacy screen in the corner that concealed a washbasin.

  Aiko stood at the door while Piper concluded her brief investigation. “There’s no bell. If there is anything else you need, it’ll have to wait until morning.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be fine.”

  “I suspected as much. You didn’t strike me as a slave to outdated propriety.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to do with a maid if one were forced on me.” There were few enough girls in the Archives as it was, most of whom Piper didn’t get along with. She couldn’t imagine doing up each other’s ties.

  “I put the sergeant across the hall from you. I suspected you wanted to be close to him in case he takes a turn for the worse.” The Japanese woman smirked. “Or some such thing.”

  “Thank you.” Piper could only imagine how red her face was. “I haven’t turned you out, have I? Is this where you sleep?”

  “Where I sleep depends on my mood. Don’t worry, I’ll find a bed to rest my head.” She winked before closing the door.

  Samuel was across the hall, and for the moment they were out of danger. Plopping down onto the edge of the mattress, Piper sucked in a breath, holding it for as long as she dared before slowly letting it out. The events of the last few days had her head spinning and her body running on adrenaline. Here she was, holed up in the home of a police constable and a clockwerker, her would-be lover across the hall, and the thoughts of a prostitute rattling around in her brain.

  You can’t blame me for those, pet. You’ve wanted to see what’s beneath those layers he wears long before I came along.

  “Shut up, Annie.”

  Yer body’s been aching for him, and if it wasn’t for whatever’s goin’ on in his head, you’d have known what it was like to have a man between yer thighs.

  “Annie—”

  He’d make you moan and come hard, I can tell from the way he looked at you. The way he touched you back in that room. Go to him.

  “I can’t. He’s hurt.”

  Not too hurt for that. They never are. Go to him.

  “I…” He was wounded and exhausted. She hated how pale he’d looked when she’d helped him into bed, the ugly red scab forming across his throat. With a bit more pressure the poison wouldn’t have needed to take effect, as the knife would have sliced through the soft tissue and into the muscles of his neck.

  Samuel would be lying dead in a dirty alley, and they would be no closer to catching his killer.

  Go, Pip. Show him how much he means to you.

  She was at the door, her hand on the knob before Annie’s words stopped echoing in her head. Her hesitation was only momentary. Knocking softly, she didn’t wait for Samuel to acknowledge before jerking the door open and stepping inside.

  “I wanted to make sure you were all right.” The words came out in a rush, only to die when she looked up to see him standing there, naked from the waist up. The muscles of his stomach rippled beneath the surface of his skin as he twisted around. Her eyes drifted across the light hair that covered his chest and trailed down to disappear beneath his trousers. Her mouth dried, and she fought the urge to lick her lips. There wasn’t a part of him that was soft, that she didn’t want to run her fingers across. “I’m not certain the antidote David gave you will work.”

  Samuel tossed the shirt he was still holding to the corner of the room. “I’m already feeling more myself. Despite his appearance of being scattered, David’s mind is sharp and his knowledge of chemistry and mechanics is second to no one.”

  “Ah. Excellent.” She was blushing again, dammit. She never embarrassed this easily. “I guess there’s no reason for me to disturb you then. Good night.”

  “Wait, Pip.”

  Keeping her back to him, she couldn’t move as he came up behind her. Heat from his body warmed her back. “I should go.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “You did earlier.”

  His hand was warm as he caressed her shoulder and slid it down over the thin fabric of her dress. “I wasn’t quite myself. Stay.”

  Annie was for once blissfully quiet. Whatever decision she made, Piper couldn’t claim any undue influence from the carnally experienced woman lurking in her mind. Leaning her head back until she came into contact with Samuel’s wide chest, Piper knew it was pointless to resist this any longer.

  “Sam.”

  His mouth covered the side of her throat with soft kisses as his hands stroked the sides of her body. “You’re so beautiful.” The words were spoken as softly as his caress. “I was a fool. A damned fool.”

  Piper turned in his hold, took his face in her hands and kissed him. She’d wanted him, this, for so long; had almost had it before it was snatched away. There was nothing she’d let get in her way now. She kissed him hard, letting her tongue dip into his mouth and taste everything that was Sam. The stubble from his chin and cheeks rubbed against her skin, making everything seem that much more real.

  She let her hands slide down from his face to his throat, where a soft scab was forming. Her thumbs skirted the edges of the mark as she bypassed it, not wanting to inflict any more pain.

  Samuel gasped, bucking his hips against her stomach. The hard length of his erection pressed against her, sending a shiver through her body to her core. She knew she was shaking, but there was nothing she could do to stop her body from reacting.

  “Touch me.” His words were a desperate whisper.

  Her fingers traced a line around his nipples, now hard, before she scraped a nail lightly across the beaded tip. “Sensitive?”

  “Yes.”

  Dipping her head, she licked across his nipple, tasting the salt on his skin. Samuel dug his fingers into her hair as he groaned. “Pip.”

  She moved to the other, licking and tasting, loving the feel of his chest hair against her nose. His body was strong, virile, everything she wanted and more. Skimming her hands along his sides and across the muscles of his stomach, Piper hesitated before she reached the one spot that still held her curiosity.

  “Let’s remove some of your clothing first. I’m feeling a little underdressed.”

  There was no need to direct him on how to strip her of her layers. They’d been here, their aborted attempt at passion so recent it was still fresh in her mind. “Are you certain?”

  Samuel chuckled. “I believe that’s supposed to be what I ask of you.”

  “Earlier you stopped. You thought that…” She really wasn’t entirely certain what Samuel had thought then. She wouldn’t be able to handle rejection from him a second time. Best not to go any further if that was the case.

  Instead of amusement or even protestations, Samuel lifted her chin with his hand until she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “The images in my head aren’t mine. They can be overwhelming. I’m not going to let them stop me. Not again.”

  Before she had another chance to respond, Samuel freed the last of the buttons holding her dress in place. The fabric fell to the floor, leaving her standing in her corset and chemise. She shivered under the intensity of his stare.

  She wanted to feel the press of his bare flesh against hers. The strings binding her corset in place were tightly knotted, but quickly gave way as they both began to work them free. The lacings in the front made it easier for her and Samuel to work in tandem, getting them closer to what they both wanted.

  The stiff fabric dropped away, exposing her thinl
y clothed body to the cool air. He’d be able to see her dusky nipples through the white material that covered her breasts. Her legs shook and her muscles betrayed her, but Samuel was there to catch her. The sheets were cool against her back, stark contrast to the warm body pressed against her.

  “I promise I will make this good.” Samuel rained kisses down her neck and shoulder, peeling away the remaining garments as he went. She didn’t even consider being shy or covering her body from his gaze. Piper was running on lust and want, both emotions stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.

  Still, when he threw her shift to the floor, unhooked her garters and rolled her stockings down, she didn’t know what to do, how to move to make herself enticing. Had she known what Samuel was planning to do next, she wouldn’t have concerned herself.

  Piper gasped as Samuel lifted her legs to his shoulders and stripped her of her drawers. He then pressed light kisses to her inner thighs. He moved his mouth upward, slowly mapping his path from her knees to her core, the place she secretly touched when she was alone in the night. As if remembering how close they’d come to this last time, her body shook with anticipation.

  “Don’t you dare stop this time.” She ran her fingers through his rich brown hair, scratching her nails against his scalp. “I’ll beat you if you do.”

  “I won’t.” He kissed her knee again. “Lie back and close your eyes.”

  It was odd, not being able to see him, anticipate where the next touch would come. Each caress was intensified—the scrape of his nails along her hips, the scent of his arousal, the heat from his body as he moved down hers, placing kisses willy-nilly across her skin.

  With the first touch of his tongue against her clit Piper bucked her hips off the bed. There it was again, that brush of heavenly pleasure. Samuel moaned and pressed her back down with his hands on her hips. His thumbs dug into her groin, mixing a twinge of discomfort with the pleasure. It drove her wild, the electric touches of his tongue against her clit, stoking her arousal higher with each caress.

  Samuel latched onto the tip, sucking as he pushed a finger into her wet opening. The intrusion wasn’t painful, though there was some discomfort as the skin stretched around him. Her virginity was intact, but not for much longer if he continued his current course, pumping and filling her with one finger, then two. There was a sharp twinge, a painful snap as he lapped hard at her clit. What discomfort there was dissipated quickly, washed away by the rising pleasure.

  “There. Yes, Sam.”

  Piper gasped, unable to do anything to stop the maelstrom rising inside her. Her hips began to buck in time with the silent beat of Samuel’s tongue and the thrust of his fingers. She was so close to something, reaching without knowing, understanding, her body overriding her reason.

  Without even trying, or realizing that she’d been climbing, she reached the peak and a cry escaped her as her body seized from waves of pleasure. Every inch of her skin seemed to burn, explode from the inside out. Sweat covered her skin in a thin sheen as she fell back against the mattress. It was perfect and nowhere near enough.

  “Pip.” Sam licked his lips as he lifted his head. A look of raw need was etched over every inch of his face. “Please, I need you so badly.”

  Tugging him up by the shoulders, she ignored the sensitive burning between her legs and positioned herself so she could wrap her thighs around his body. The head of his cock pressed to her entrance, nudging the sensitive skin.

  “I won’t spend inside your body.”

  The words barely registered, the risk of motherhood never something she’d considered before. “Don’t care. I need you, Sam.”

  She’d always loved how large his body was, without being overwhelming. Now, he all but consumed her with his mass, and she reveled in it. He slowly pressed forward, filling her inch by inch with his cock. While she’d always felt close to him, she hadn’t realized what it meant to be possessed by another person. This was… no wonder the Guild Masters forbade it. It was wonderful, freeing, and damning all at once.

  The steady press in went on forever, until he could finally go no farther. His eyes were wide, overflowing with the same awe that filled her chest.

  Finally.

  Yes.

  “You’re perfect.” His mouth covered her, demanding, taking, giving all at once. “Perfect.”

  Samuel started up the primitive beat, thrusting into her, his slick skin sliding easily against her own. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. He filled her completely, pressed down on her, wrapped around her from every possible side. What little pain there was dissipated, absorbed by the sudden rise of pleasure. Yes, this was everything she’d ever dreamed of. He was hers, and she’d be dammed if she ever let him go.

  His hot breath came in shallow pants, heating the skin of her throat and cheek, her body swallowing up the moans and soft grunts as he increased the pace, driving into her over and over until Piper didn’t know how much more she could take. She pressed her face to his ear, kissing the ridge and sucking on the plump flesh.

  “Only you, Sam. From the beginning. Only you.”

  He hooked his hands beneath her shoulders, holding her tight to him, and for a moment she thought this was it, she could die now and know that she’d finally lived, experienced the ultimate intimacy with another human being. Samuel’s thrust grew erratic, and Piper forgot how to think.

  “Yes. Sam, don’t stop.”

  Her entire world focused down to the pleasure building inside her, the press of his body against her clit. “Come for me, darling.”

  She couldn’t draw in air, gasping as her vision blurred. The orgasm fired her blood, drove her mad as wild ecstasy roared through her. Her mind catalogued every feeling, smell, Samuel’s lustful moans against her. One moment he was thrusting into her, the next he jerked his body up, pulled his cock from her, and spilled his seed across her thighs.

  As Piper came down from her erotic haze, the only thought she could form was wondering what their children would look like.

  No.

  Ragged breathing filled the air. Neither of them moved for a long time, as if the thought of parting, even for a moment, was too much to bear. Eventually, their bodies protested, and Samuel slowly got to his feet and fetched a damp cloth from the washbasin. He took great pains in cleaning her up, looking down at her with affection.

  “Are you sore?” He pressed the wet cloth between her legs, soothing the skin, attempting to examine her in the dim, flickering light of the steam lamps lining the wall.

  “I’ll live.”

  “Of course you will. You’re far too strong to let something as simple as relations do you harm.” Samuel ran a hand over her stomach, sending shivers through her body. “Stay with me?”

  “Yes.” A simple answer. There was no question of her leaving. Not now, not when she was still half mad for him.

  But even as Samuel shifted beside her and pulled the blankets up to cover their naked bodies, Piper realized that there was nothing simple about what they’d done at all. The Guild Masters would never allow them to marry, society would shun her if they knew what she’d done, and for the first time in years, she was confused as to what she wanted.

  No, this complicated things quite a bit.

  Chapter Sixteen

  A loud banging from somewhere above them wrenched Samuel from his sleep. Piper was buried next to his body, her face pressed against his chest and the steady rhythm of her breathing warming his skin. Lifting his head from the pillow, he listened for the source of the disturbance, praying that whatever had caused it was a singular occurrence.

  When there wasn’t an immediate follow-up, Samuel softly laid his head back on the pillow. For the first time in ages, he was content. Piper was here with him, they were safe, and for a short time he could fool himself into believing they could have a normal life together. They’d catch Jack and make sure the public was unaware of his connection to the Archives. For a fleeting moment he even let himself imagine that he would persuad
e Piper to run away with him to Canada.

  Samuel pulled her tighter to his chest. It wouldn’t happen. She was dedicated to the cause, believing in what the archivists stood for, the preservation of knowledge and humanity. She’d never willingly walk away from the only life she’d ever known.

  There was no way in hell he’d ever go back.

  Still, having her here in his arms was right. A sense of belonging he’d longed for, desperately chased for years, had finally taken root in his heart. All he’d needed was her, a chance to have a family of his own, to be a part of something bigger. Laughter, lovemaking, babies, and everyday fights. Someone to hold him when the pressures of the world got to be too much. Pip. He’d enjoy the fantasy while he could.

  Samuel sat up and listened. There it was again. The crying. The past few nights in his new quarters had been strange. At first he assumed the noises were sounds of the new acolytes he’d met since his move. But either the others were too ashamed of it, or they didn’t trust him yet; no one claimed ownership.

  Sitting up, he listened intently, trying to decipher who the voice might belong to. When the sounds grew faint, he got up and moved the small wooden stool in his room so he could press his ear to the ventilation shaft.

  “Hello?” His voice echoed in the pipes. “Who’s there?”

  No one answered.

  “Hello? John?” No answer.

  Samuel was helpless to do anything, so instead he stood there and listened. Only when his legs were too tired for him to continue to stand did he return to his bed. It would have been nice to have found the boy, whoever it was.

  Samuel was lonely, too.

  Sleep had all but reclaimed him when an explosion rocked the walls and sent rivers of plaster dust snowing down upon the room. Samuel was out of bed, yanking his trousers on, before Piper was fully awake.

  “What happened?”

  “Explosion.”

  She was up and pulling her undergarments on as quickly as she could. “The Archives? Jack?”

  “Doubtful. More likely it’s an experiment of David’s gone wrong. Stay here and I’ll check.”