Hold Your Breath 01 - Stone Devil Duke (16 page)

Hazy c
onfusion set across Aggie’s face. “What? We are stopping?”

“No.
” Devin gave her a lascivious smile. “No, we have only just started.”

“What?”

Devin grabbed her knees, pushing her legs apart. Her hands dropped behind her, holding herself upright on the ledge.

He bent to her inner thigh, her skin dripping, and began to taste, to tease his way up her leg.

“Oh, God…” One hand pushed at his shoulders. “Devin, this…”

Devin
didn’t look up, and he kept his lips on her thigh. “Let me do this, Aggs. Just close your eyes and concentrate on my touch.”

His fingers preceded his mou
th to her core, readying her, and when he reached her to begin to taste, he heard an audible gulp. Lips not leaving her, he glanced up just in time to see her head tilt back, trembling. He pulled her left leg inward, draping it over his shoulder.

“Hell
, Devin.” Aggie’s palms slipped on the wood, and she clunked down hard onto her elbows.

Hand still manipulating,
Devin pulled up, chuckling. The clunk hadn’t stopped her writhing. The heel of her foot dug into his back, demanding, bringing him into her again. Devin obliged.

Faster
, he attacked, hungry for the screams she failed to control. Her other leg came over his shoulder, and Aggie jerked up, hands diving into his hair. Half for support, half begging, she clutched him.

He
continued his onslaught, both tongue and fingers searching the deepest parts of her. Faster and faster he plied her, hard against her struggle for relief, until her body seized, thrusting against him, scream at her lips.

S
he collapsed on him.

Devin
wrapped his hands up Aggie’s back and pulled her down into the water. He moved backward to lean against the wall of the tub, Aggie limp atop him.

He tightened his arm across her back, and she
snuggled closer with a sigh. Every trace of rigidness had disappeared from her body. Devin congratulated himself on achieving that. And if he had to keep her constantly in bed—or bath—to keep her from worry, well, there were worse fates.

Minutes skimmed by,
and sure she had fallen asleep, Devin untangled his fingers from her hair and started to move.

“That was
…” Her voice, purring into his chest, surprised him.

“Yes?”

She propped her chin on the center of his chest to look up at him.
“Amazing. Can I do that to you?”

Devin
laughed. “You can do anything you want to me, Aggs.” He brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “But not right now. Right now I am carrying you over to bed before you pass out on me and we are stuck in here.”

~~~

The screams sent him running up the stairs. Sleep had eluded him, so he had left Aggie in bed and gone down to Killian’s study. He wanted to go over one of the initial reports he had on activities of the band of four.

There had to be something he was missing about their connection to the leader. Maybe he had to go further back in history with them. Where they came from, how they knew each other.
He had already made plans to send one of the extra guards he had hired to accompany them, back into London with more direct instructions for his team of five runners. They were still investigating, attempting to find the leader. They were smart, and probably already digging into pasts, but Devin wasn’t leaving it up to assumption.

The screams, screeching, blood-curdling, in a pitch
like nothing he had ever heard before, shot him out of the carved wooden chair and sprinting up the stairs.

Wearing only
pants and wishing he had a knife in hand, he busted into the room he always used at Killian’s home, battle-cocked to fight whoever was attacking Aggie.

Searching the dark corners of the room,
Devin saw no movement. Frantic, he focused on Aggie in the stream of moonlight coming through the open window, only to see her still in bed, still lying down, still screeching. A chill went to his bones as he watched her writhe, sheets flying.

Rushing to her, he hoped against hope she wasn’t injured. Damn his idiocy in leaving her alone. Untangling her limbs from the sheets, he caught her face in full-out scream, eyes closed, and realized she was asleep.

He clamped down on her shoulders, pinning her to the bed. The screams got louder and she pitched violently, trying to free herself from his hands.

“Aggie.
Wake up. Wake up.” Devin’s face hovered over hers. He wasn’t sure she could hear him through her own shrieking.

“Aggie. Stop. You’re safe. Aggie. Wake up.”

A quick gasp of air, and Aggie’s eyes flew open as she jerked up against his hold.

Panic flooded her face, then confusion, then she collapsed back into the bed
, panting, as her face fell. “I was screaming, wasn’t I?”

“Like someone had cut your arm off.”

Devin thought he saw her cringe at his words, but then she closed her eyes, tilting her head back up against the pillow.

“
I am so embarrassed that you saw that.” She opened her eyes to look at him. “I am sorry I woke you up.”

“I wasn’
t asleep, I was downstairs. No apologizing. Now tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me what is going on in your mind.”

She closed her eyes again, shaking her head, wedging it deeper into the pillow. “I dream. I cannot control my dreams when I am overly tired.”

“You are not going to tell me, are you?”

“No.” She said quickly, jumping on the option he inadvertently offered up.

Devin sighed and removed his hands from her shoulders. He pulled the sheet over her. “Fine. Back to sleep for you. But I am asking again in the morning.”

Standing, the
surprise hand gripping his wrist stopped his exit. He looked down at her, only to see remnants of her earlier terrorized face still etched around her eyes. She hid it well. She always hid it well, but Devin was starting to see right through the mask she usually held in place.

“I
hoped…can you stay? Please? You here…I fell asleep so easily before.”

Devin
’s chest tightened. Hell yes, he could stay.

He dropped his pants
and slid under the sheet next to Aggie, fitting her body solidly into his. Pushing her hair back, she put her ear on his chest and heaved a breath.

Within a minute she was back asleep.

On the bed, Aggie laid a fresh chemise, stays, stockings, a pleated shirt, and a deep wine colored traveling skirt and jacket that she knew warmed the color of her face. The military-styled braided accents and sleek lines would accent her shape, and for that, she was grateful. After what Devin had done to her body last night—things she had never imagined possible—she wasn’t above keeping a constant reminder of her curves in front of him. She would let him have free rein on her body at any time he saw fit. And she hoped he would see fit a lot.

Not bothering with a maid, she dressed
, and found she couldn’t deny the haunting emptiness in the spot where she usually strapped a pistol to her thigh. She silently chastised herself again for letting her guard down. She would just have to ask Devin for a pistol once they got to Stonewell, despite the fact she guessed it would irk his pride. Pricked pride or not, she knew the best person to protect herself, was herself.

“
After you fell back asleep, you said ‘panther’ in your sleep,” Devin said as he sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his Hessians. “It was better than the screaming, but strange. Why ‘panther?’”

Aggie stopped mid-motion in packing her bag and turned to him. “
I did?”

“
Yes. It was oddest thing a woman has ever said in bed with me.”

Aggie laughed. “
I do not know if I want to hear what the second oddest thing was. But I guess ‘panther’ is odd. It is actually nothing—give me a chance to dig this out.” She turned back to her bag, hands diving deep into the contents. Pulling out a dark blue ball of cloth, she unwrapped the edges of the fabric to reveal the only trinket she insisted on bringing with her everywhere, a wooden sculpture of a panther, no bigger than her hand. “My brother sent it.”

She couldn’t help h
er light mood from swinging to mournful as she held up the black wood piece for Devin. “Jason was always sending items home from his travels for the crown. This is the last thing he sent. A few days after we received it, we got word that he was missing. Most thought he was dead. Father did not believe it though, and neither did mother, although that was when she started to withdraw. But father never found any evidence either way, save for the fact that he believed the panther was sent after the date Jason went missing.”

“How would he know that?”

“Father hired several investigators,” Aggie sat heavily on the bed next to Devin, “and they traced the panther back to a courier who was supposedly given it two days after Jason was reported missing.”

“
Do you believe he is alive? I think our discussion the other day about your brother fits into that ‘omitting information’ arena.”

Aggie looked down at the panther
. “I do. I have to. Until I have proof that he is not, I will believe he is alive. I have been doing everything I can to try to hold the estate together until he returns. Including—” Aggie cut herself off.

“Good try,”
Devin said. “You need to finish that sentence.”

Aggie sighed. S
he may as well tell him, because the man was going to figure it out soon enough anyway. “Jason has been gone for so long—years—and the solicitors were beginning to question whether he is alive. No matter how much I insisted on his good health, they kept pressuring me. So I manufactured a message from him several months ago as proof that he is still alive.”

Devin
smiled, and Aggie wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

“How did you do that?
”

“
I arranged to have a letter come in on a ship from the continent. Jason and I were very close, and I am pretty good at forging his handwriting.” She shrugged. “It quelled the swell of questions that were beginning to surface. At least for now. People get antsy when a title is involved.”

Devin
’s hand went lightly on her arm. “Do you truly believe he is alive, or are you pretending because it is easier than the alternative?”

Aggie eyed him. She didn’t like the probing. Didn’t like having to question her own faith
that Jason was alive. She looked away, staring out the window at the light of the morning brightening the trees. “Honestly, I am not sure. I would like to be, but he has just been away so long. If he is alive, I am certain he would have contacted us by now. Especially if he knew about father and…” Her voice trailed, cut off by her own fears.

If Jason was alive and knew about the danger his family was in, he
would have been back. Aggie was sure of it. But he didn’t know. That was the only explanation. That was the only reason he would stay away.

She
ran her fingers over the smooth backbone of the panther. “One of the last things my father said to me was to keep the panther with me always—I guess to keep the hope of Jason alive. So the panther stays with me. It keeps me optimistic, as it is my only link to the hope that he is well.”

“Can I see it?”

Devin took the offered sculpture, turning it back and forth in his hands, studying it. “It certainly is an exquisite piece. The craftsmanship is of very high quality.”

Devin
handed the panther back to Aggie.

Her finger ran along the front outstretched leg
of the cat. “Yes, Jason always did have an eye for fine craftsmanship.”

S
he stood, turning from Devin, and carefully rewrapped it. Jason had to be alive, she repeated in her head. He just had to be.

Devin
stood and Aggie turned to him.

“
Before we go, Devin, there is something else as long as we are talking about Jason and the estate.”

“Tell me.”

He crossed his arms across his chest, and Aggie swallowed. She wondered if he always had to brace himself when she was about to talk. But then, he was the one that said he didn’t like her omitting information.

“
I do not want to burden you more than I already have, but I have a favor to ask. Will you help me with the dealings of the estate? I don’t want to lose anything before Jason returns, and I fear I am doing just that. Father never included me in any discussions about the estate, and why would he? So I have tried, but I know I have been making a mess of things.”

Aggie smirked up at her husband as his stance relaxed. “
Plus, I am sure Jason would have settled a more-than-generous dowry on me, and I can still make that happen. The hasty wedding did not exactly leave any time to discuss such important details.”

Devin
mirrored her smirk. “The last thing I need is your money, Aggie. You are what I wanted, nothing more. That said, I would be happy to help in any way you need me to.”

Relief visibly went through her body
as she exhaled. “Thank you. You have no idea how that would alleviate my worries. I will just be happy if the entire estate is not lost by the time Jason returns.”

~~~

Aggie looked across the carriage at Devin. He was watching her, grey eyes hovering, as usual, and she found it both comforting, and suddenly, slightly unnerving.

Unnerving because s
he wanted to love this man.

Hell.

She probably already did.

She had
been denying herself that truth for the entire first half of the day. It was too soon for something as fanciful as love, she kept telling herself. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t safe. And she had only known him for a few days.

A few days that felt like forever.

He had no reason to help her that first night, yet he had. He willingly took on her problems. The problems of a stranger. And then he didn’t let her disappear. Time and again, he showed up. And that told Aggie all she needed to know about his character.

She denied him repeatedly, denied his help, but he didn’t listen and refused to cave to the demands of her pride. Instead, he simply took care of her. Took her
burdens. Took her worries. Put her first. He wasn’t just a man. He was a force. A force she was no match to resist.

Her eyes moved across
his wide shoulders, settling on his chest, and the memory of her mouth on his skin, gasping for breath, flashed in her mind. He was also a force that could twist her body into incomprehensible pleasure. How could she not be falling in love with him?

W
hy was she fighting it? He was her husband. What more could she need? Had she become so jaded over the past year she had no room for love? Or was it that she didn’t want him hurt? If she still wasn’t safe, that meant he wasn’t safe. The thought settled into her chest, and she didn’t like the weight it added to her breath.

“The worry lines on your forehead.
” Devin’s voice startled her. “They were not there a moment ago. Is something wrong?”

Aggie pasted a smile on her face. “No. Absolute
ly nothing. Just an errant thread of thought.”

Devin
’s eyebrow arched, and Aggie could see him start to question her. She wasn’t about to share her current thoughts with him. Not yet.

“Truly. Nothing of concern.” Aggie searched her mind. “
Stonewell. Tell me about it. You grew up there, correct?”

“I did.”

Aggie waited, but those were the only words he spoke. “That is all you are going to share?”

He shrugged. “
Why don’t you tell me about your childhood?”

Aggie’s face lit up
. “Happily, but only if you reciprocate and tell me about your own.”

Devin
sighed. “I would rather not.”

“Well the
n, I would rather not either.” Aggie crossed her arms and looked out the window at white sheep dotting the greenery.

Several moments passed in silence
.

“Fine. D
eal.” Devin looked none too pleased at the manipulation.

“Excellent.” Aggie smiled and held out her
gloved hand for Devin to shake. He paused, but then grabbed her fingers. Aggie saw the slightest smirk pass on his face as he shook her hand.

“
So…where do I start?” Aggie tapped her finger on the fold in the fabric of her maroon skirt. Her eyes glowed as memories filtered to the front of her mind. “I had a happy childhood. Occasionally we spent time in London, or at one of the other estates, but those times were infrequent. Mother rarely wanted to leave our country estate, Clapinshire
.
But you probably know all of that about me already, don’t you?” Aggie had gathered that Devin knew much more about her than she knew of him.

“I have done some research, yes
.” Devin shrugged.

“
Then I shall talk about my brother. Jason and I were extremely close. We were two years apart in age, and I idolized him. He always had time to explain things to me, why frogs ate flies, how to build a boat that wouldn’t sink, how not to get stuck to one’s knees in mud—all the terribly important things.”

Aggie paused for a moment
and gazed out the window. Memories of mucky, wet, wonderful days put a soft smile on her lips. “We used to play in the woods and creek for hours and hours at a time, fishing, building platforms in the trees, playing hide-and-seek. Fun and more fun. Days that disappeared into everything and nothing. Father was gone at times, but whenever he came back from London, he would bring us little gifts. My favorite was a bow and arrow set—”

“Your f
ather gave you a bow and arrow?”

Aggie chuckled. “Not exactly. Hiders-rights won out. I constantly stole it from Jason
, and I had three fantastic hiding spots for it. Jason got tired of looking for it. Papa got tired of hearing him complain about it. So he eventually purchased another set for Jason.”

“Brat,”
Devin said with a smile.

“Yes, well, I got what I wanted.” Aggie
smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t going to argue the point. She had been a brat. “Anyway, I became quite good. I always enjoyed shooting at targets and I loved to challenge Jason to contests. It took me half-of-a-year of practice, but the day I beat him was the day he refused to compete with me anymore.”

“I don’t blame him. And that your parents encouraged the behavior—double the brat.
”

“
Yes. And I have not even gotten to the pistol part yet.”

“Pistol?
Do I want to hear this part of the story?”

“Y
ou did ask about my childhood.”

“Fine
, tell me, and we will prove the point that ignorance is bliss.”

Agg
ie’s hands settled into her lap as she smiled. “Jason was humiliated when I beat him—although he continued to dispute the outcome of that contest. So he dropped the bow and convinced father it was time to become skilled in shooting firearms. It gave Jason the perfect chance to flaunt something that only he was allowed to do, for he knew that our father would never let me touch a pistol.”

“And rightfully so.”

“Yes, well the bugger took away all my fun. He started to spend all his time practicing his aim and cleaning his pistol. I lost my playmate…and then when he wanted to leave me behind, all he had to do was tell mother or father that he was going off to practice shooting, and that it would not be safe for me to come along. So I was resigned to sit inside. My mother would inevitably corner me with her needlepoint and make me practice it.” Aggie cringed.