Chapter 18 The Headless Horseman
THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN
The sunlight makes her naked skin glow.
In sleep, she looks more like an angel than usual.
Her pale lashes fan over her pink cheeks.
The meals he’s given her have restored her body’s softness.
He is no longer able to count her ribs—the fullness to her breast and backside makes his mouth water.
It was always his dream to see her grow even more, rounder with his child.
It had been a dangerous dream for so many years, and now it feels tangible. Even if he has no idea what a child between them would look like in this new form.
He’s getting ahead of himself. He needs to enjoy every moment, not become lost to his greedy desires.
As he looks at her, he realizes just how much he’s longed for her. In those dark moments, it was her voice, her face, that called out to him. They strengthened him enough to push through the pain—encouraged him to find her. He thought it was because she was guilty, but that had not been the truth.
He meant what he said. He should’ve sought her out the moment he was able.
Explained to her what happened, and they could’ve spent the last month together, freely.
Instead, he had been warped by anger and the need for revenge.
There were still those who needed to pay for his death, but the idea of revenge held less appeal.
Scarlett was his. She was the only thing he ever truly needed. The need for revenge seems so childish compared to their future together. Still, he will breathe easier knowing those who wronged them both are gone from this world.
He will do anything to keep her safe. She has shouldered enough misery for both of them, and that is why he will not allow her to accompany him tonight.
The death of her father will not be put upon her shoulders.
She may hate the man as much as he does, but that burden may be too great for her to bear. She has suffered enough.
The Headless Horseman will keep her safe even from her own anger. Earl Richard is no fool. Word will have spread of both Bram and the duke’s murders, and he will be awaiting him. He will not bring her into that lurking danger. He’ll distract her before he slips away.
This ends tonight.
Scarlett stirs against his side. Blinking sleepy blue eyes open at him, he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. Rose water coats his tongue, accompanying her sweetness that still lingers from the night before. Her smile is serene, making his reanimated heart pump unevenly.
“Good morning,” she yawns, stretching out atop the bed.
The sheets slip down her naked body, and she makes no move to cover herself.
Her pink nipples harden under his hot stare.
His release still coats her thighs. No doubt she’ll be sore today after the number of times he took her last night.
He couldn’t get enough of her—his desire for Scarlett is unending.
“Breakfast?” she asks, her stomach grumbling.
With a sharp nod, he rises from the bed naked.
He makes quick work of wrapping her in a blanket before taking her down the hallway.
He settles in his same chair from the night before and balances a sleepy Scarlett on his lap.
With a wave of his hand, a breakfast feast is revealed.
Scarlett gasps, her eyes going wide in delight.
She leans against him while she eats bits of everything, even taking a few pieces from his hand. His fingers dance along her full lower lip, but he does not push until he’s certain she’s eaten enough. However, he can only help himself for so long.
The blanket slips from her shoulder and bares her breast. Without hesitation, he palms it gently, working her hard nipple—Scarlett moans before playfully smacking at his chest.
“Quit pawing at me while I’m trying to eat.”
A laugh booms from deep within him.
“You’re moody in the morning.”
“I’m ravenous,” she says. “A beast ravaged me all night long. I have to keep my strength up in the hopes that he takes me this morning.”
Her proud expression sets his blood on fire. His fingers lock around her nipple, gently tugging the stiff peak.
“Is that so?” he asks. “If it is your desire to be taken by such a creature again, then I have the means to make that happen.”
“Really?”
She blinks wide us up at him as he tears the blanket from her body. His cock is hard and ready, already leaking moisture. He can smell the delicious scent of her pussy. The soft skin of her inner thighs already glistens with arousal.
Hooking her around her hips, he holds her aloft and fits the head of his cock to her tight entrance. The heat of her pussy makes him hiss.
“Oh, yes.”
He lowers her down on his length in one slick glide. Her breath catches as she tosses her head back.
“Too much?”
She shakes her head.
“It’s perfect.”
Leveraging herself on the arms of the chair, she works herself on his lap. Her ass meets his front in satisfying smacks. He toys with her breasts until she is panting. Her cunt tightens on him like a vice, urging him to spill even if she hasn’t hit her peak yet.
Her movements become halting, her rhythm becoming disjointed in the face of her pleasure.
He takes over, powering up from beneath her and shoving himself deep.
Broken moans fall from her red lips as she tosses her head back against his shoulder.
His fingers find her greedy clit and rub tight circles on it.
A breath catches in her throat, and she erupts, clenching down on him and encouraging him to spear deep inside of her and empty himself in a rush of hot seed. He fills her to the brim, delighting in how it seeps from her tight hole and coats both of them.
She pants as he holds her close, memorizing the beat of her heart—taking it with him.
Scarlett will no doubt be mad once she realizes what he’s done.
He can take her ire; what he couldn’t withstand was her being hurt.
If she can be mad at him, it means she is alive, and he will just work even harder to secure her forgiveness again.
Capturing her face, he trails his fingers along her cheek.
“I love you. I’ll always protect you, Scarlett.” His eyes harden, and her lips part. “Even from yourself.”
Her pale brows lower in confusion.
“Please forgive me for this.”
Before she can open her mouth and ask his intention, he waves his hand. Deep sleep settles over her, and she drops into his lap. He can only pray that by the time she wakes, he has returned to her, leaving her father’s corpse rotting inside their manor.