28
Camilla White
“ A re you out of your goddamn mind?” I hiss the moment I notice Vincent locking my bedroom door behind him.
In the middle of the day. Worse , on the day his family is coming for “Family Lunch”. On this day, the twentieth of November 1440, the Hawthorne Duke title was created for Augustus I of Hawthorne. He was the one that decided to organise the first tribute lunch, to pass down to his descendants the importance of his family and title.
Even Aunt Lizzie made sure to organise a huge meal on this day. Today, I am taking care of it for Vincent, his brother, and mother. I am sure she is coming ready and eager to torment all of us—well, me .
Vincent’s eyes twinkle with mischief the moment we lock gazes, proceeding to walk towards me with purpose. I turn, my back facing him once again, pretending to tend to whatever I was doing before. Truth is, the exact moment he entered my bedroom, he commanded all my attention to him.
The hairs on my skin stand to attention the moment I feel his presence hovering behind me. He isn’t touching me yet, but I already feel the heat emanating from his body and seeping into mine. Then, Vincent presses his front against my back and hides his face in my hair, nose touching my ear shell.
“I needed something to give me courage for today,” he mumbles against my skin while his hands wrap around my waist.
“Courage?” T ell me about it. I laugh just as my body relaxes and moulds into his. “What’s so bad about it?”
“My mother isn’t enough reason?”
I wish I could say it isn’t, but obviously it is. Hopefully, I can steer clear of her as much as possible, which won’t be much.
“It’ll be alright tonight. I’ll be out of your way, and I did stick to the menu she demanded. Today it’s your favourite food ,” I tease him playfully.
“I don’t think having you naked and sprawled in the middle of the dining table is wise tonight, love.”
I giggle like a schoolgirl, at his crude words.
After what happened in that storage room, I decided never to see him again. That was, of course, until he showed up in my hotel room, begging for forgiveness. It changed everything that night.
We may not have confessed feelings for each other, and I am not certain we ever will, but our bodies have shown it. All the things he said he liked about me and how I deserve everything, the way he held me and cherished me.
We’ve been closer ever since.
His hand trails my blouse at first, playing with the hem for a few seconds before sliding underneath. His pads caress my skin and slowly raise until they reach my bra.
“You wish,” I answer. “Meatloaf’s the main dish tonight.”
“Oh, no,” he groans, even though it sounds more like a moan than anything else. His fingers dig underneath my bra as well, cupping my breast. My breath hitches, and a tightness grows in my core.
Every graze and touch this man provides is enough to affect me, to alter my brain with all these hormones that threaten my judgement with a good time.
“And here I was excited about the marvellous dishes you were going to serve us tonight.” He snickers against my skin, but I can feel the stretch of his lips in what I imagine to be a wicked smile.
“Vincent,” I warn him. “Someone could knock.” He hums in agreement, but his hand starts to wander, going back down.
“I can hide in the closet,” he finally answers, disregarding my warning.
“Your mother will be here at any moment,” I try again. My voice has a shaky edge to it, but I don’t attempt to stop him. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.
He reaches the hem of my pants and proceeds to do the same as he did with my blouse. A gasp escapes me the moment he reaches my core.
“Then we’ll have to be quick and quiet.”
It’s euphoric. Nothing like I’ve ever felt before.
It’s like Vincent can cripple me with a single kiss, a single touch or a breath. As his fingers slowly start to work my clit, I can’t help but let my body fall even further into him. It makes my legs weak, but Vincent’s hold is strong enough to keep me upright.
“Oh, god,” I moan.
“It’s my name I want to hear, little Milla , not god’s.”
“I...thought...you wanted...me to...be quiet.” Vincent’s chuckle only adds to the arousal and excitement of the moment.
“I always want you to scream my name,” he groans against my neck, nipping at it. “But you said so yourself; someone could knock and listen.”
His momentum speeds, making my legs tremble. While one is working relentlessly on my pussy, the other opens my blouse, baring me to him. Through the mirror, he watches me, devouring me with his hands and gaze.
“Look at you,” he murmurs. Through my back, I can feel his heartbeat beating, just like mine, fast-paced. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever set my eyes on. Every time we’re in the same room, I feel all my attention being drawn to you.”
My eyes roll back. His hands are unforgiving, torturing me. The one buried in me is alternating between slower and faster rhythms while the other is paying thorough attention to my breasts.
“It’s like I am completely consumed by you,” he groans, his hips flexing against my ass.
He’s awake, alright.
“Vincent.” My moan comes out more like a broken whisper than anything.
Just then, he sinks two fingers into me while using his thumb to stimulate my clit. They curl right on the right spot, bringing me closer to orgasm with each thrust.
“Open your eyes, little Milla , and come for me,” he pants against my neck. “Let me watch you unravel under my touch.”
And that’s all it takes for me to fall apart in his arms.
“I’m not done,” he chuckles, and my eyes snap open in shock.
“What do you—”
“On the bed, Ms White,” he orders, disentangling himself from my body.
Without questioning him, I follow the orders, getting comfortable on the bed. He stands there for a second, watching me intently, before leaning over my body.
“Vincent,” I whisper his name through parted lips and hooded eyes.
What is he going to do now?
A kiss on my nipple first, then on my lower belly afterwards, until he completely lays down, facing my core.
“Watch me cherish you,” he mumbles before diving headfirst right into my centre.
He licks my slit slowly before humming, and I shudder. His hands rush to assist his mouth. Licking, nibbling, sucking while two of his fingers pump into my entrance steadily. My body shudders, and my back arches in response.
So intense.
This man works wonders with his mouth, and I can’t help but grind my hips against his face, meeting his rhythm.
Keeping his pace, he alternates between sucking on my clit harshly or licking around it. The small ticklish sensations increase my arousal. “Oh, my, Vincent!”
That is enough to spur him on, as he increases the speed, his eyes alternating from my core and my face, always watching me intently.
It becomes too much as my body contracts, and I can’t help but grab his hair harshly, trying to find something that will ground my brain to this world.
But it’s not enough. The franticness is too much, and I ride his face, chasing my high.
“Come for me,” he orders.
And I do. I break apart before him by his hands. I feel my core squeezing his fingers, oozing more of my juices onto his mouth, chin, and hands.
It takes me a moment to recover, slowing my breathing down.
“Oh, god,” I mumble, embarrassed. “Are you alright?”
With a silly smile, he just lays next to me on the bed and pulls me into his arms before mumbling. “Peachy. Death by cunnilingus is the best way to go.
I’ve been furiously blushing ever since Vincent left my bedroom half an hour ago. Just as I finish redressing myself, the arrival of the duchess and Edgar is announced. In a way, I am thankful for all the distractions today. It’s the first official holiday that I am completely by myself.
I welcome them into the manor to the best of my ability. Still, it’s the most awkward greeting I’ve had. Edgar looks me straight in the eye and smirks, making me blush all over again.
With my head hanging low in a failed attempt to hide my blushed cheeks, I take them directly to the visiting room, serve the snacks and tea without uttering a word, and let them wait for Vincent, who has already received word of their arrival.
“Are you feeling alright?” Mariah asks as soon as I get into the kitchen.
“Yes,” I sigh. “It’s just that woman...she is–”
“Insufferable, right?” I jump at the sound of Edgar’s voice.
“Your Grace,” both Mariah and I say in unison, scared he just heard us.
“Don’t mind me, girls.” He winks before heading to the counter and sitting down on one of the tools. “I love her. She’s my mother, after all, but she acts like a bitch ninety percent of the time.”
Edgar keeps looking at Mariah like a dog looks at his favourite bone, making her blush like crazy. He is blatantly eye-fucking one of his brother’s employers with a kitchen filled with a cooking and cleaning staff.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, heading to the cabinets, trying to find something to keep busy while the chef and helpers take care of the menu for supper.
“Tsk tsk…” Looking at Edgar, I see he’s shaking his head disapprovingly while looking at me. “Do not judge me, miss. You wouldn’t want me to share all your secrets.”
“Go to–” He quirks his eyebrow, and I bite my tongue so hard it probably draws blood.
Looking around, I see some of the closest staff members looking at me with a surprised expression. I can’t answer him back in front of everyone else. And I shouldn’t even if we were alone.
“Go where, Camilla?” he taunts with a knowing smile.
“Keep your mother and brother company. I am sure they aim to have family time on a day like this one.” I give him a fake smile.
“Oh, believe me…” He picks a grape up and plops it in his mouth. “It’s the last place I want to be. She’s scolding him for not doing as she wishes. It may be a holiday, but for those two, there’s always time for arguing.”
“I believe the duke has enough skill to fulfil his obligations and meet the expectations everyone has,” I can’t help but blurt. “I mean, he has been an exemplary employer so far and has kept the entire staff his aunt had hired…”
With a knowing smile, Edgar answers, “You’re right, darling. But dear mummy says and I quote, ‘You can’t trust a man to do a woman’s work.’ So, she will keep on his arse until he complies with every one of her whims.”
“Are you done whining about my arse? Please let my staff prepare the food! I am starving.” Vincent’s booming voice brings an eerie silence to the kitchen.
I turn my back on them, facing the cabinets to hide the smile I can’t keep from etching its way onto my face or the blush staining my cheeks. Edgar mockingly whines about him being a party pooper while we’re left to finish the rest of the details.
The meal runs smoothly.
I made it my mission that the duke’s mother knows I wasn’t the cook tonight and that her directions of what the menu should be were followed. The food received several compliments, and I try my best to steer clear of the family’s quality time together.
Once they finish eating and I supervise that everything has been properly cleared out of the dining room, I excuse myself.
It’s past nine in the evening, and it’s time for Primrose’s night walk.
Heading back to reach one of the back corridors, which serves as a shortcut to my bedroom area, I am suddenly stopped by a harsh hold on my arm.
“Oh, my–” I exclaim but stop short as soon as I see the short woman shooting daggers at me through her eyes. “Your Grace, you scared me!”
“I’m on to you,” she sneers. “You think you can seduce my son into marrying you and becoming a duchess? You don’t have the finesse nor the blood for that.”
“Wha–”
“I am the one talking here,” she cuts me off. “You can seduce him all you want, girl. He will follow through with his responsibilities, and you’ll be left behind, so be clever and end whatever is going on between the two of you before things get too complicated for you.”
“There’s nothing–”
“Oh, spare me.” She waves a hand in front of me, coming awfully close to my face. “I see the way you look at each other, how you avoid each other physically in the presence of others but can’t help the lingering looks.”
“I can assure you, Your Grace, that–”
“You’ve been warned. If you don’t steer clear of my son’s path, I’ll make sure you will,” she cuts me off once again. “That’s all. You can go now.”
Her eyes are blazing with anger and disgust while I just stand here for a moment, unable to react. It was only a matter of time before she realised, and as much as her words hurt and remind me of the future we do not have together, I don’t think I can do as she wants.
We haven’t been able to keep our distance before…
Wordlessly, I turn and continue the short walk to my bedroom. Unaware of my grumpy mood, Primrose runs up to me in excitement, knowing her time to go for a walk has arrived. This time around, instead of keeping to the orchard, I absentmindedly extend the walk.
She follows me around happily, not even noticing my gloominess. It stretches until I find myself in the crypt where Mrs Elizabeth and Joseph are buried. They’re right next to my mother’s smaller one.
“I miss you,” I mumble to the darkness of the night. “I wish you were all here.”
It’s the first time I’ve been here since Mrs Elizabeth passed. Maybe it was the way I found to avoid reality. Also, the way Vincent’s been around has helped to make me feel less alone in this world, but tonight…the duchess’ words have struck deep, and now all I want is a tight hug from my mother and the comforting words of “everything will be alright.”
But she’s not here. None of them are.
Here, now, watching their tombs is making it real. I am utterly alone in this world.
And Vincent…
As much as I crave his companionship, his love, it all has an expiry date.
And it’s such a dawning moment, showing me just how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things. An insect that can be easily squashed into oblivion.
One thing she was right about...I’ll be the one getting hurt in the end.