Chapter Eleven
Dane decided to keep his suspicions about Maria to himself, after all Charity did not know of his suspicions of or connection to Maria other than they had been together at the Dewaldington ball when they were first introduced. And he didn’t want her knowing that he had bedded the Spaniard as she had callously accused him of doing with her.
Plus he didn’t want Charity worrying when he went back into town to spy on Maria. If Charity thought she might be in any kind of danger she may not be so agreeable to staying at the cottage alone.
He pushed open the kitchen door to find Charity standing in the middle of the room with a strange puzzled look on her face which quickly changed to one of relief when he greeted her. The house would soon be completely dark so he went around and lit some candles and a fire in the cook stove and fireplace in the parlor after greeting her.
Going back to the kitchen where Charity was expertly peeling potatoes he asked what he could do to help. They worked together preparing their dinner while she asked him all sorts of questions about the town of Whitby. He told her about the abbey and how the stone work rose majestically above the town refusing after all these centuries to relinquish it mighty guardianship over the residents. He describe the intricate carvings on the stone markers in the church cemetery and of the vast number of step on had to take from the cliff top to reach the village.
Dane painted a picture of the quaint and colorful cottages that lined the streets with rain drenched flowers, the heavy blossoms dipping toward the ground. He recounted some of the shops he had seen, a bakery with the sweetest looking pastries in the window,and thought that tomorrow he would stop and buy her a treat. He told her about the many ships in the harbor and the ones moored at the docks and he described the noise and bustle surrounding the ship builders yard. He told her about the sun wrinkled old sailors with their toothless grins and the small children running amuck among the stalls of the busy market square.
Dane explained the the town was also known for it many mineral springs that people flocked to each year for their medicinal healing properties. When Charity asked if it would be possible for her to go there and enjoy a soak Dane promised that he would find the time one day before returning to London to take her.
There was one more thing Dane wanted to show Charity so after dinner was finished and the clean up completed he took her elbow and lead her out of the kitchen and through the parlor to a back room past where his bed chamber was.
“I haven’t been back here yet,” she told him and he could see she was counting the steps a habit that he found himself doing.
“Good, otherwise it would spoil the surprise I have for you.”
“Surprise? What is it?”
He could hear her childlike excitement and he smiled, “Just a couple more steps. There stop. Now give me your hand.”
He took hold of her hand, it looked so small and delicate in his larger one. Curling her thumb and three fingers into her palm leaving just her index finger pointing away he slowly and gently moved her hand forward. But when she tried to pull back her uncertainty showing on her face he put his lips to her ear and whispered.
“Trust me sweet Cherry. You’ll like it.”
She relaxed and he was able to move her finger to where he wanted it. As soon as she heard the melodious tones a large smile leapt to her face and soon she was stroking the keys on the piano that Dane had seen tucked back in the corner of the room that morning. He knew that just having the piano here would help make Charity’s confinement that much easier for her to bear.
Feeling for the stool Charity was soon seated and after straightening her skirts she was began to play a lovely tune. Dane was astounded by the transformation that came over her as she played. The once plain woman who he now viewed as lovely became a creature of immeasurable beauty. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, staring entranced as her fingers danced over the keys with such grace and skill. He listened as the melody filled the room, the haunting notes of the song seemed to caress his skin, igniting a heat in his blood that had him moving closer.
Just as she hands caressed the keys so did his one hand grazed across her neck and shoulder, his fingers lightly dancing over her warm soft as silk skin. Reaching over her shoulder he let his fingers linger over her collar bone to rest upon the dip between where he could feel her heart beating almost as if in time with the music. He wrapped his hand softy around her throat drawing it up to cup her jaw, his thumb lightly caressing the line from ear to chin. Leaning forward he brought his lips against her ear his hot breath smoothing over her skin as he whispered.
“You are so beautiful when you play my sweet Cherry.”
Her fingers stumbled over the keys when Dane snuck out his tongue and lightly ran it across the curve of her ear before dropping a lingering kiss upon the delicate and sensitive area just behind. He felt a shiver run down her spine, an unmistakable tremor of excitement when he lowered his hand to lightly brush over the top swell of her breasts.
Dane knew that he was starting something that he shouldn’t but this attraction he felt for Charity was beyond his control. Never in his life had he felt the insistent pull toward a woman like he did with her. It was as if his body knew that she was the one it needed more than any other. When she tilted her neck giving him easier access to mark a path of kisses over her skin Dane took the invitation without a second thought.
Dane’s heart was hammering against his ribs and his breaths were coming in quick puffs that washed over her making her shiver more. His fingers moved the the row of tiny buttons that ran down the front of her dress and though they were shaking from his overwhelming need for her he managed to slip several of them loose. He couldn’t wait any longer, plunging his hand in he pushed beneath the layers of clothing to find the delicious weight of her soft round breast, her nipple already drawn into a tight peak. When he brushed the pad of his thumb over the little bud Charity’s fingers tripped over the keys, banging to an out of tune stop.
When she turned on the stool reaching one arm up to plow her fingers through his hair he dropped his lips to hers. He kept the kiss soft and light lingering over the softness of her full bottom lip but when her lips parted with a soft sigh his tongue entered her moist mouth. He could taste the orange she had with her supper, sweet and tangy and he wanted to eat her up like the juicy fruit.
Stepping into the space between piano and bench Dane pulled Charity to her feet crushing her to his solid chest as he deepened the kiss. Suddenly needing her closer he grasped the back of her head and held her where he could devour her mouth their tongues twining in a blood heating erotic dance that had his cock swelling and pushing against the fall of his trousers.
Without releasing her lips he tilted his head this way and that exploring every aspect of her mouth, his fingers went to work popping the buttons free. When he made it down to the last one he pushed the dress off her shoulders and down her arms where it caught at her elbows effectively trapping her arms at her sides. A wicked part of him thrilled at the idea that she couldn’t move, that she was at his mercy even in that small way and pictures of her tied to the bed while he had his way with her flashed in his mind sending him further into a carnal frenzy. He pulled down hard on the edge of her corset and chemise causing her delectable breasts to pop free of their confines, the stiffness of her corset pushing them up and together. A deep throated growl tore from him as he buried his face in her soft plushness and when she cried out as he sucked a nipple into his mouth he smiled against her flesh happy to know that she was just as aroused by his touch as he was by hers.
Dane loved the little mewling noises Charity was making as he continued to lavish his attention on her sensitive nipples, sucking them fully in his mouth or flicking just the tip of his tongue over the tight little peak. He loved how flushed and pink her skin was and the way her breath was coming in wispy ragged pants. He could see her trying to reach for him, struggling with the restrictions of her dress sitting low on her arms so he used both his hands to pull her arms free. Instantly she buried her fingers in his hair pulling him closer to her while at the same time she leaned back pushing her chest into him. But she leaned too far and if he had not braced an open palm between her shoulder blades she would have fallen completely off the stool.
Her fingers dug into his coat sleeves until she regained her balance then she placed them on his heaving chest slipping them up to push his coat off his shoulders. He let it fall to the floor kicking it to the side. He let her nipple pop out of his mouth as he spoke against her damp flushed flesh, his eyes looking up over her skin to watch her reaction.
“God my sweet Cherry I love the way you taste. I want more.”
When he saw her draw her bottom lip between her teeth and felt her hand reflectively pull on the back of his head he knew she answered his passion with that of her own. His hands quickly loosened the laces of her corset enough to pulled it over her head and fling it to the side then he impatiently pushed her chemise off her down to her waist. For a moment his stood just admiring her soft curves but when she fisted a hand in his hair and pulled him down to her lips he felt a bolt of pure lust shot through him.
Their kiss was hot, hard and demanding, harsh breaths mingled together in their desperate need to devour. Dane turned her and pushed her against the pianoforte a little harder than he intended causing her to cry out but not in pain. Her bottom crashed against the keys the jumble out of tune song she made the sweetest Dane had ever heard.
Releasing her lips, both gasping for air, Dane use both hands to cup her breasts thinking how perfect they fit his palms, how lovely her tight little nipples were as they beckoned to him to take them inside his wet cavern.
“Dane please,” she pleaded breathlessly. God how he loved the sound of his name as it rolled off her lips.
Not one to keep a lady waiting he took one nipple in his mouth circling it with his tongue one hand kneading it as he lavished it with attention. His other hand he used to pull on her skirt, gathering the material higher and higher until he found her stocking covered knee. He pulled that knee and hooked it on his hip and his fingers explored the silk stocking until he found that edge where it met bare flesh. He heard her gasp when his fingers touch her warm skin and wanting to draw out her pleasure he ran a finger just under the edge, between silk and skin. Feeling the shudder that travelled down her body to where his fingers played Dane groaned, the vibrations shooting right into her nipple making her mewl in pleasure.
Dane moved over to her other breast telling her as he went, “More cherry. I want to taste more of you.”
“Yes,” she gasped when he latched onto her, “Please Dane...I need...I need...” Charity nearly sobbed as she couldn’t find the words she needed to say.
Dane moved his lips to press lightly to hers as he said against them, moving his fingers up the warm sleek skin of her thigh, “I know what you need sweet Cherry. Will you let me give it to you?”
∞∞∞
Charity’s entire body was vibrating, pulsing with a need that she had never experienced before, a need that she knew only Dane could satisfy. When he had brought her into this part of the cottage that she had yet to explore she had not expected to find the wonderful surprise that he promised her. Her heart had sang with immeasurable joy when her finger stroked out that first note and she had to resist the urge to fling her arms around him in gratitude. Being able to play had released all the tension out of her that had built up over their days of travel and the worries over what had happened earlier in the day.
Picking a beautiful sonata she let her finger glide across the keys losing herself in the song but never losing her awareness of Dane standing beside her. His body heat warmed her in the otherwise chilled room and when his hand came to rest on her shoulder Charity soaked in the weight of it.
It was a long time since Charity had not completely lost herself in the music she play but how could she when she was so deeply aware of the man standing at her side. How could she not think of him as her fingers waltzed over the keys by memory alone while every nerve was focused on Dane. When he put his lips next to her ear and whispered, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine her blood pooled hot in her belly, her womanhood throbbing as moisture gathered. She played on though her fingers stumble over the keys when his warm lips touched her neck because she knew he loved to listen but also because if she stopped she feared that she would tear at his clothing to find his sculptured flesh beneath.
When Dane’s hand reached inside her clothing and grasped her aching breast the extraordinary feel of his skin upon hers was so starling that her hands stumbled over the keys ringing out a jumbled mess of notes. The feel of his thumb brushing over her distended nipple was more than she could bear. Reaching up Charity tugged his mouth down to hers where they kissed almost tenderly, a soft glide of lips their breaths mingling together gently.
This lasted only briefly and then it was like a dam burst releasing all the pent up desires they had been keeping in check behind cold stoney walls. Now as he had her pressed up against the piano, her bottom resting against the keys she had only moments before been stroking, Charity’s heart thundered as she answered his searing kiss with a fervor of her own. Their lips and tongues collided with the raw hunger that was overtaking them. Charity trembled all over with a need that surprised her, she had never known she was capable of feeling such passion.
When his wet mouth latched onto her nipple and his fingers caressed her inner thigh so close to where her body craved there was no way she could prevent from crying out, begging him for more. His fingers trailed up her thigh getting ever closer to her center and when he found the opening in her drawers she answered his quest for more by parting her legs inviting him to explore, to touch, to give her what she needed.
His finger pushed through her curls to stroke over her sensitive bud causing her hips to buck, the crashing notes from the pianoforte she was perched on ringing out like a wildly demented song. Dane’s lips, tongue, and teeth working on her tight nipples were sending shots of lust down her belly straight into her womanhood where moisture was pooling and when his probing searching finger found her wetness he moaned against her heated skin.
“There is so much I want to give you Cherry,” he told her just before he claimed her mouth again, plunging his tongue deep inside where she met him in a lovers dance, her fingers of one hand buried deep in his locks holding him in place.
Charity couldn’t believe how alive his touch was making her feel and she hardly recognized mewling sounds of pleasure as coming from her. When his finger traced her opening her muscles clenched in anticipation but when it seemed as if he was going to withdraw she quickly grasped his wrist in one hand holding him there.
“Please Dane give me what I need. I want you to.” Her impassioned plea drew out a long low moan from deep in his chest and she reveled in the fact that he seemed as affected by their erotic play as she was.
As Dane slid his finger inside, Charity flung her head back as her body automatically arched toward him. He moved slow letting her body get accustomed to the intrusion one knuckle at a time. It felt wonderfully strange being filled but yet somehow her body was telling her there was more.
“You’re so tight, my God Cherry you feel so good.”
He started to move his finger in and out of her slick channel as he flicked the pad of his thumb across her clit and soon her hips were rolling to meet him. After a few moments of this slow almost teasing motion Dane added a second finger causing Charity to cry out with the feel of him stretching and filling her. His in and out thrusting pace increased as he continued to toy with her clit, now a hard throbbing bud aching with the need to be touched.
Faster and faster his fingers moved in her wet sheath and her walls clenched and released with his movements. Charity could feel her nerve endings start to tingle deep inside her and slowly move outward over her body, the sensation growing strong with every fevered stroke of his hand. Her short haggard breaths ending with a small mewling sound as he pounded into her at a frenzied pace now pushing her toward that which her body desperately sought. She released his wrist and grabbed franticly for the edge of the keyboard as her hips now bucked to meet his thrusts the sound of the crashing notes adding to her frenetic pleasure.
His free hand grabbed hold of her by the jaw and he turned her face to his, she could feel his rushed breath sweep across her cheeks and just knowing that his lust glazed blue eyes were boring down into hers made her inner walls tighten around his fingers. The tingling she felt earlier intensified in strength and Charity felt it moving down her legs curling her toes.
“I want to watch you come Cherry,” he told her, his low deep voice rippled over her causing every nerve in her body to dance and tighten.
Behind her dark vision Charity could see flashes of brilliant colors like sparks in the night sky and she felt her body beginning to soar.
“Come my sweet Cherry, I want to see you shatter.”
His seductively suggestive words along with the his fingers that he curled to brush against an enormously sensitive area inside her had Charity crying out his name as she exploded into a million fragments of color and light. Her body soared to the heavens floating in an indescribable bliss that she never wanted to come down from. She could hear Dane whispering her name over and over and now more than ever she wished she had her eyesight. What she wouldn’t give to see his face to know what he truly thought of her, if he was looking at her adoration or condemnation, longing or loathing.