Love's Fiery Jewel (23 page)

Meeting his cold stare for a few brief moments, Amethyst suddenly attempted to pull herself from his
restraining hand in an effort to escape, but the other
heavily muscled arm snaked out to secure his grip and
pull her tight against him as he muttered angrily, "We
have a bargain, Amethyst

"Yes ...yes, I know, but," her voice a tremulous
whisper, Amethyst pleaded desperately, "...but I just
wanted to talk to William.. .make certain he is
alright..."

"No!" The deep-throated response emphatically denied her request.

"But," she continued hoarsely, "I must talk to him,
please."

"No!" Adamantly shaking his head, Damien held her
more tightly still as he turned in the direction of the
group still observing the proceedings from midway down
the street, and gave a short nod. Acknowledging his
signal, the men moved quickly toward William, and
within seconds had taken him prisoner. Struggling
violently as they dragged him away, William repeatedly
called her name, but within moments the entire group
was swallowed up by the darkness.

Turning to Damien, Amethyst begged hysterically,
"Stop them, please! They're taking him away! Damien
...you cannot allow them to hurt him... please...
you promised..."

His ice gray eyes suddenly boring into hers with an
intensity that set her to trembling, Damien responded
pitilessly, "And you promised me, Amethyst."

Shaking her head wildly, Amethyst's voice was a raspy
whisper as he strained her closer still, "No.. .no..."

His voice an insistent command, he demanded
harshly, "Yes ...you promised, Amethyst ...Amethyst..."

He was shaking her roughly by the shoulders, his voice
demanding insistently, "Amethyst... Amethyst..." jarring her cruelly when she snapped open her eyes to see
the dark street had disappeared. She was in her own
room, in bed, and Damien was shaking her, a deep frown
darkening his expression as he searched her face
worriedly.

"Are you finally awake, Amethyst? Damn that doctor
and his laudanum. I told him he uses too liberal a dosage.
I could hardly wake you. Are you alright now, darling?
You were having a nightmare."

Gently wiping away her tears with his broad palm as
Amethyst struggled to regain control of her emotions,
Damien continued softly, "You were tossing and turning
in your sleep and cried out. I was afraid your fever had
returned, but you are cool to the touch."

But she was still trembling, and overwhelmed with
tenderness, Damien gently gathered her thin body
against him, a trembling beginning inside himself as he
held her close. "Don't worry, darling. You're safe with
me. I won't let anyone hurt you..."

But she moved uncomfortably in his arms. Her night
rail was soaked with perspiration from her frantic dream,
and realizing her discomfort, Damien released her. His
eyes flicking assessingly over her person, he rose
abruptly to take the basin from beside the bed and left the
room. Within minutes he returned, balancing the basin
carefully as he replaced it on the nightstand.

Moving familiarly to the dresser, he removed a fresh
night rail and laid it across the foot of the bed. Turning
back toward her, he said softly, "You must take off that
damp gown, Amethyst. And then I'll help you bathe so
you may relax into a sound sleep."

"No, I'm alright, Damien. You needn't bother,"
Amethyst protested, drawing a frown from the strong
face that towered above her.

"Is this more maidenly modesty, Amethyst? I'm afraid
I cannot wrap you in a blanket and allow you to remove your clothes this time." Raising his brow, Damien
continued with authority, "And I can assure you, I
bathed you on several occasions while you were ill. I have
seen you in your entirety several times, Amethyst. Your
nakedness will not be a new sight to me."

Flushing brightly, Amethyst mumbled through tight
lips, "But it is not necessary that I bathe. I have already
bathed this evening."

"And you are about to be bathed again!"

Moving determinedly toward her, Damien sat lightly
on the side of the bed and began to unbutton the top of
her gown. Quickly brushing away his hands, Amethyst
snapped tightly, "I can do that!"

Within moments Damien was lifting her gown. Rolling
her slightly from side to side to free the garment and
slipping her arms free, he pulled it gently over her head
and dropped it casually to the chair. As he turned back to
face her, Amethyst avoided his eyes, her own gaze darting
to the far comer of the room where it remained fixed with
resolution. Suddenly grateful not to face her discerning
eye, Damien felt himself flush hotly as his eyes moved
slowly over Amethyst's naked form. He truly had bathed
Amethyst's fevered body several times during her illness,
his anxiety removing all thought but the business at hand
from his mind, but tonight was another matter.
Mesmerized by the beauty of the small woman lying in
front of him he could not seem to tear his eyes from her.
His heart racing in his chest, he felt a revealing
tightening in his groin and groaned inwardly as he took
up the cloth and vigorously worked up a lather with the
lavender-scented soap. This was going to be far more
difficult than he had anticipated, but he had insisted and
was determined to follow the course of action through to
the finish.

Moving the cloth slowly across her brow, Damien
commanded hoarsely, "Close your eyes, Amethyst."

Complying with his terse command, Amethyst snapped
her eyes shut, allowing him to run the cloth across the
narrow dark brows and thick fringe of lashes before
moving across the smoothness of her cheeks and the
delicate lips compressed into a tight line. Taking another
cloth, he rinsed her face clear of soap, noting with an odd
fascination the manner in which the dark lashes curled
upward against her velvet cheeks, the way the little
tendrils at her hairline curled appealingly, the perfection
of her profile as he ran the cloth gently across her lips. He
had patted her face dry when Amethyst's eyes snapped
open again to resume her adamant scrutiny of a point in
the far corner of the room, but this time.ne Damien was
grateful for her stubbornness. He was not certain he
could maintain a casual facade as he ran the soapy cloth
down her throat, onto her gently curving shoulders, and
lower to circle the white smoothness of her breasts. Even
in her thinness, Amethyst was beautiful... her breasts
smaller than before, but perfectly shaped, the pink crests
bright and appealing against the stark whiteness of her
skin. Lifting her arms, one at a time, he washed them
gently to her slender fingertips, repeating the whole
process as he dried her with a soft cloth.

His hands were trembling noticeably now as he worked
up a fresh lather and turned to move the cloth below the
soft breasts to the slender waist; on to the flat stomach
and slightly rounded hips. Taking a deep breath, he
moved the cloth slowly among the dark curls nestling
between her thighs, the pounding in his chest echoing
deafeningly in his ears as he separated them gently to run
the cloth between her legs. When he had completed
drying the area he had just cleansed, Damien could feel
the perspiration on his forehead and upper lip, and
quickly brushing it away with the back of his arm, he ran
the soapy cloth down the lengths of her slender legs and
on to the dainty feet, making sure to cleanse between each perfect toe as he did. He was breathing heavily now,
the task he had unwittingly chosen for himself playing
havoc with his senses. Barely managing an even voice, he
commanded harshly, "Alright, now roll over, Amethyst."

Her eyes returning to his for the first time, Amethyst
protested once again, "Surely you are done now,
Damien."

"I have not washed your back."

"But it isn't necessary. I..."

"Roll over, I said!" Unsure how much longer he could
maintain the cool facade he had managed for Amethyst's
benefit, Damien's command was curt, serving his
purpose well as Amethyst flopped over angrily, her face
almost buried in the pillow in angry embarrassment.

The silky white back was a further test of his control as
Damien circled it gently, moving slowly to the base of her
spine and on to the small buttocks, faultlessly lovely to
his eye.

He had never seen such a beautiful woman, flawless in
every detail. Almost overcome, Damien dried her slowly
in an attempt to stretch out the time remaining during
which he could feast his eyes on Amethyst's inordinately
sensuous appeal. Running his eyes over her back,
Damien's gaze caught on a small beauty mark below her
shoulder blade, and lowering his head unthinkingly, he
kissed it lightly. The coolness of her skin against his lips
sending a sharp electric tingle through his body, he
gently ran his palms across her shoulders, smoothing,
caressing, as his mouth covered the narrow expanse
of her back, touching, tasting, breathing in the sweetness
of her. Taking the heavy black curls on her neck into his
hand, he lifted them gently to reveal the vulnerable nape
of her neck, and leaning forward, circled it with soft,
tender kisses. Trailing the line of his caress down her spine, he pressed his cheek against the base for a few long
moments, before moving to spread a tender barrage of
kisses on the firm, round buttocks that fascinated him so
completely, continuing on down her legs to the hollow at
the back of her knees, where he stopped for a lengthy,
fervent caress.

Moving upward once again, he took the small hand
lying limply at her side, kissing the palm again and again,
the roaring in his ears almost deafening as he trembled
with desire for the woman who lay so vulnerable to his
touch.

Realizing he was almost past coherent speech, Damien
swallowed hard in an attempt to regain some semblance
of control and gently turned Amethyst around to face
him.

The deep lavender eyes that met his were dazed,
searching his face expectantly, the soft lips parted with
irresistible appeal. Cupping her cheeks with his hands,
his eyes caressed her, her sublime magnificence robbing
him of words as he mumbled hoarsely, "Amethyst...
Amethyst, my darling...

And then his mouth was on hers, the innate sweetness
triggering the raging emotion he had held in check so
long. Parting her lips even further, his tongue probed
gently at first, passion soon driving him past caution as
he pressed deeper and deeper into the beauty opened to
accommodate the caress of his tongue. Tearing his mouth
finally from hers, he trailed moist, heated kisses down
the column of her throat to the hollows at the base of her
neck, thrilling wildly at the small moan of pleasure his
caresses raised from her throat. The graceful curve of her
shoulders then knew his passionate touch and lowering
his head, he continued to caress them gently with his
palms as he circled the rounded mound of her breast with
his mouth, his tongue licking out occasionally to taste the tender flesh in his slowly narrowing circle to the erect
pink crest that awaited his kiss. His mouth closed over it
eagerly, the breathless gasp issuing forth from between
Amethyst's soft pink lips pushing him over the edge of
passion as he continued to kiss, caress and fondle the
inviting peaks again and again, mindless in his desire for
her. But they were too sweet... he could not leave the
delicate mounds just yet. Continuing his ardent caresses,
his hand slipped down to find the shining nest of dark
curls, his fingers tightening convulsively in them for a
few short seconds before slipping into the moistness
beneath.

Suddenly he could bear no longer the impediment of
clothing between them and standing abruptly, he
stripped off his clothes and dropping them to a chair,
turned to see Amethyst watching him with a bemused,
half-lidded gaze. Moving her glance slowly across the
broad planes of his face, her eyes traveled to the expanse
of his shoulders and chest, massive and heavily muscled;
and progressed slowly down to the narrowness of his
waist to follow the faint line of golden brown hair to his
groin where the full extent of his passion was exposed to
her gaze. Her eyes, widening slightly, showed the first
trace of fear, and a flush of tenderness suffused him.
Lowering himself to the bed beside her, he took her
gently into his arms. Almost breathless as their, flesh
truly met for the first time, Damien whispered against
her hair, "Don't be afraid, darling, I won't hurt you...I
only want to love you..."

His hand moving steadily downward, slipped into the
warm crease to resume the caress interrupted only
moments before as his mouth plundered hers hungrily,
eagerly, with a growing tumult that could lead in only one
direction. Moving quickly, he was atop her, easing his
weight down gently for fear of crushing the fragile beauty that lay beneath him. He probed her gently as his mouth
ravaged hers, seeking, drawing, demanding more and
more with his escalating passion.

And then he was inside her, her sharp intake of breath
simultaneous with the rigid stiffening of her frame as her
body closed completely around him for the first time. A
blinding wave of exaltation swept over Damien as he
came to rest inside her, the sweet singing in his blood
rising to a deafening pounding in his ears as he savored
the heady feeling of complete possession.

Suddenly conscious of her rigidity, Damien slipped his
arms under and around her, holding her tight in the
circle of his arms as he lay motionless inside her. His
hand moving up to tangle gloriously in the long dark
curls at her neck, he whispered softly into her ear
between intermittent kisses, "Don't be frightened,
darling. Just relax and let me love you."

Moving slowly inside her, he continued his kisses and
soft encouragement until he was moving freely within
her, her own body's response eliminating the need for
any further words as he plunged deeper and deeper with
each thrust. Abruptly he was there, poised at the ultimate
summit. Hesitating briefly, he glanced down into
Amethyst's face, drinking in the passion displayed in the
glow of her eyes and her short, gasping breaths. His voice
deep with emotion, he whispered against her lips, "It is
beautiful, isn't it, Amethyst? Together, you and I...it
was meant to be..."