Love's Fiery Jewel (25 page)

Turning in a huff, Tillie closed the door emphatically
behind her. Listening as her angry strides moved toward
the kitchen, Damien waited only until he heard the irate
slamming of the kitchen utensils before looking again in
Amethyst's direction. Gently turning her averted face
toward him, he saw tears filled the huge luminous orbs
that studied him intently. Overcome with tenderness, he gathered her slowly into his arms, the touch of her
breasts against his chest sending a jolt surging through
his blood which he struggled to ignore. His voice was low
and husky when he was finally able to speak.

"Darling, Tillie will soon become accustomed to our
being together. You must not allow her anger to affect
you.,,

Nodding her head, Amethyst swallowed again, finally
allowing herself to relax against him as he stroked her
hair gently. Suddenly realizing the warmth of Amethyst's
small body against his was affecting him far more than he
desired, he released her gently. Lifting the coverlet, he
got out of bed and reached for his britches.

Turning unexpectedly, Damien caught Amethyst's
gaze as it wandered over him openly, seemingly mesmerized by the play of muscles along his powerful thighs,
the turn of his firm buttocks, the narrow flatness of his
waist, from which his frame shot upward in a sharp "V"
to a broad, powerful chest furred lightly with golden
brown hair and massive shoulders that gave the final
touch to his impressive appearance. Her eyes moved
along his strong neck and chin and his full, sensuous
mouth... Suddenly Amethyst's eyes were in contact
with his, causing heat to surge recklessly through his
veins.

"If you continue looking at me that way, Amethyst,"
Damien's voice was a husky whisper, "it will be
extremely difficult for me to leave this room as I had
planned."

The revealing swell of his body leaving no doubt as to
the significance of his words, Amethyst flushed hotly and
turned her glance away. Turning back as his step neared
the door, Amethyst watched him leave the room, only
to see him return within a few minutes with a basin
filled with water and fresh cloths. At her questioning
glance, Damien stated brusquely, "I'm going to help you bathe, Amethyst."

Reacting with spontaneous anxiety to his statement,
Amethyst flushed hotly as she stammered uncertainly,
"No...no, Damien. Tillie is home now. She can help
me. It isn't necessary that you..."

Carefully placing the basin on the nightstand, Damien
sat on the side of the bed and reached out to cup her
cheeks in his hands.

"You needn't worry, Amethyst." His voice soft, he
continued reassuringly, "If you wish, Tillie may help you
bathe after today, but I' think it best that I help you this
one more time, darling."

Suddenly comprehending the reasoning behind his
statement, Amethyst glanced away and within moments
Damien was lightly sponging her face.

Steeling himself against his body's weakness, Damien
continued his loving administrations, moving down the
graceful column of her throat, across her slender
shoulders and arms, those small, perfect breasts, the
pink, appealing nipples firm and erect under his touch.
Taking a deep breath, Damien moved lower, the soapy
cloth finally coming into contact with the tight curls
between her thighs. Gently separating her legs, Damien
cleansed Amethyst meticulously, carefully removing the
last traces of the virginity lost in the raging passion of the
previous night. Suffused with tenderness as he completed his intimate chore, Damien raised his eyes
abruptly, catching in Amethyst's glance an expression of
vulnerability and loss that moved him beyond words.
Sweeping her into his arms, he held her almost painfully
close, his heart throbbing in his chest as he whispered
against her silky curls, "Don't look so sad, darling. I'll
make you happy, I promise you."

A now familiar heat surged through his veins as
Damien covered her mouth briefly with his, but realizing
their privacy was limited even if he could dare another loving assault on the small woman lying so helpless in his
embrace, Damien pulled himself away with an obvious
effort, his smile apologetic as he reached for the fresh
nightshift lying on the chair beside the bed.

"I'm afraid I sometimes overestimate my willpower,
Amethyst."

Carefully slipping the delicate garment over her head,
he assisted her in slipping her arms into the sleeves as he
would a child, a strong sense of relief flooding his senses
as the voluminous garment covered the slender body that
drew him so relentlessly. Sliding his arms beneath her
abruptly, he lifted Amethyst into his arms. Holding her
tight against him for a brief second, Damien experienced
a peculiar thrill as he held her so possessively. Her
questioning expression finally penetrating his bemused
state, he stated softly as he lowered her into the chair
beside the bed, "I'll put some fresh bedclothes on the bed
so you may rest comfortably."

Turning his back, Damien proceeded to strip the bed in
quick, sweeping movements, but not before Amethyst's
eyes caught the bright red stains marring the whiteness
of the cotton sheeting. Her face paling at the reminder of
her loss, Amethyst closed her eyes weakly for a few brief
seconds as Damien swiftly redressed the bed. Turning
back in her direction, Damien deliberately ignored her
pallor as guilt began to gnaw at his increasingly active
conscience, and sweeping her back into his arms, he held
her only briefly before laying her gently against the
freshly fluffed pillows. Carefully pulling the light
covering up to her chest, he said in a tone that belied the
heavy hammering of his heart, "I'll go now and see what
is keeping your breakfast."

Within the hour Amethyst had eaten and was once
again reclining in bed, her eyelids growing heavier with
each passing minute. Walking to the window, Damien
lowered the blind, turning in time to catch the sudden widening of Amethyst's eyes as she nervously averted
her face.

"Damn!" Damien was suddenly irritated. "Does the
little chit think I will attack her each time the room is
darkened?" Walking to the bed in two swift strides, he
frowned unreasonably, stating in a cold voice, "You may
sleep now, Amethyst. I shall be going to my ship for a few
hours."

He was stomping down the street toward the harbor, an
angry scowl on his face, when he admitted to himself for
the first time the true reason for his flaring irritation lay
in Amethyst's accurate reading of his unconscious
intentions, and her all-too-obvious reluctance. Suddenly
slowing his stride, Damien heaved a small sigh as he
mumbled to himself, "Straith, you surly bastard, what
else could you expect from the child? Twice you assured
her of your platonic intent, only to end up making love to
her each time. She trusts your good intentions no more
than you trust them yourself! Give her time, man! She's
barely well, yet each time you make love to her you can
feel her response.. .the fire burning just below the
surface. You must be patient, man, patient. It will be
worth the wait..."

Damien's tall, broad figure had barely cleared the
doorway before Tillie was at Amethyst's door, her face
clearly showing the anxiety she had suppressed in
Damien's presence. Advancing slowly into the room, she
stared silently in Amethyst's direction for a few long
minutes, hesitant to speak. Doing nothing to alleviate her
discomfort, Amethyst avoided the worried mulatto's
discerning eye, glancing toward her only once to quickly
move her gaze back again to the window.

Tillie's soft, rich tone finally broke the silence of the
small room, her voice trembling noticeably as she
inquired softly, "Amethyst, you be alright, child? There be anything Tillie do fe you before Captain Straith come
back?"

Waiting anxiously for a signal from Amethyst to voice
her condemnation of the man who had just left the
house, Tillie's heart plummeted in despair as Amethyst
replied quietly in a tone that invited no comment, "No,
thank you, Tillie. I'm really quite tired. I think I'll rest
for a little while."

Her throat tightening unmercifully at her exclusion
from Amethyst's confidence, Tillie could do no more
than nod dumbly before turning to leave the room,
closing the door quietly behind her.

Once again alone, Amethyst closed her eyes tightly,
the tears she had hidden from Tillie with her averted gaze
slipping needlessly out of the corners of her eyes as she
struggled to suppress the deep sobs she felt building
inside her. She had been such a fool.. .and now she was
paying the price of her own stubbornness. She should
have listened to Tillie from the beginning. Damien
Straith truly was an obeah-man. There was no longer any
doubt in her mind that the infamous Captain held a
strong power over her which he exerted at will. What
other reason could there be for the malady that was
slowly consuming her...the complete loss of will that
overtook her each time Damien took her into his
arms.. .the weakness that assailed her each time his lips
touched hers, a weakness that had no relation to her
recent illness.. .the burning desire that surged within
her each time his strong male body pressed intimately
against hers, urging her to strain him closer still while
she ached with the need to feel him moving freely inside
her? Oh, she had been a fool!

A stubborn, childish fool! Had she not been too proud
to openly accept the charm Tillie offered her, she would
still be at the great house of Sheridan Plantation;
William would be well; and she would be safe in his arms. William... oh, William! Unable to suppress the soft sob
that escaped her lips at the picture of William's
handsome, loving face, Amethyst turned into the pillow
to bury the heartbroken sound. Tillie was right...
William would not want her anymore, and even if he did,
his parents would never accept her now. He deserved
more in a wife.. .far more ...In a few weeks Damien
Straith would sail again for America, but Amethyst's life
would remain immeasurably changed, for William was
irrevocably lost to her. And the truth of that knowledge
hurt, hurt more deeply than physical pain and, she
feared, was a pain that would be far more enduring.

His attention wandering from Jeremy Barnes's efficient recitation of the business conducted in his absence,
Damien breathed deeply of the fresh breeze blowing off
the ocean, awaiting the sense of contentment that
usually accompanied the sensation of the Sally's deck
beneath his feet and the scent of salt air in his nostrils.
But the peculiar unrest remained. A few hours before he
had returned to the ship, bathed and shaved leisurely for
the first time in over a week, and donning a fresh set of
clothes, had come up on deck to assess the progress made
during his absence. It was obvious to his discerning eye
that Jeremy Barnes had done his job well in keeping the
men in hand and preparing the ship for the return voyage
to America due to commence within a fortnight. Obeying
his orders to the letter, Barnes had continued contracting
for return cargo, and had, in fact, done the job as well as
Damien could have done. Due to Barnes's efficient
handling of the time since his absence, the option to sail
earlier than planned would certainly be open to him, but
somehow the thought did little more than increase his
discomfort. He and his men had been in Kingston for a
considerable time, but he had no desire to quit the island.

His frown deepening considerably, he was forced to admit that his reluctance was due entirely to the fragile
woman whose bed he had left only a few hours before.
Nodding absentmindedly as Barnes's low recitation
droned on, Damien rationalized silently, "It's too soon to
leave now. I've not yet had my fill of her, but within the
fortnight I will have become sated, and will be anxious
once again to be free on the open seas."

Shaking himself mentally, Damien made a supreme
effort to devote his full attention to the earnest first mate
and draw his wandering thoughts back from the picture
of deep violet eyes that seemed determined to interrupt
his concentration. Within the half hour, no longer able
to deny a vague apprehension building inside him,
Damien gave his bewildered first mate terse instructions
before striding back down the gangplank. His apprehen
sion growing with each step he took, Damien approached
the front door to Amethyst's house in a stride that was
just short of a run. Pushing the door open abruptly,
Damien was faced with Tillie's startled expression.
Instantly suspicious, Damien glanced briefly toward
Amethyst's door before moving unhesitantly in its
direction. Within minutes he was in the darkened room.
His eyes finally adjusting to the dim light, Damien saw
the petite figure lying motionless in bed. Closing the door
lightly behind him, Damien walked quietly toward the
bed, noting the slow, even rise and fall of the small breast
beneath the light covering. His heartbeat gradually
returning to normal, Damien allowed his eyes to move
slowly over the small, perfect face outlined by a halo of
deep, black curls against the pillow. Moving closer, he
saw tear stains on the smooth cheeks and suddenly
immeasurably saddened to see evidence of her unhappiness, Damien crouched by the bed to brush the shining
curls lightly with his lips. The need to hold her close
more than he could withstand, Damien moved to lay
beside her atop the coverlet, careful lest he disturb her slumber. Turning on his side toward her, he moved closer
until his face lay only inches from hers on the pillow.
Slowly sliding his arm across her waist, Damien fitted
himself as closely against her as he dared without
disturbing her sleep. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply
of Amethyst's fragrance, effectively dismissing in that
short moment the guilt that had begun to eat at his mind
in the sudden, absolute confirmation of his belief that
this indeed was the way it was meant to be....