Circle Never Ending

He was thinking of her. She didn't know how she could possibly know that, but her heart was whispering the truth in small delicious licks of heat that rushed to tinge her cheeks pink. Her palms grew sweaty inside of her thin summer gloves, whiter than any of the fluffy clouds that were crawling past the window of the drawing room. The hairs on the back of her neck raised up as if too reach for his phantom. Every small shadow that passed by the corner of her eye made her jerk her head up, eyes searching for his troublesome smile. A hunger she didn't understand hummed through her lower stomach, a gnawing need for...something! She pressed her damp palms to her heated cheeks and stood. She looked around with a filtered smile and made her excuses to walk out of the drawing room, leaving the girls to gossip as they sat on overstuffed rose patterned couches and settees and sip mint tea. She fled with little grace to the porch, one hand fisted tight against the boning of her bodice as she stared out towards the stables.1

He was thinking of her. He was thinking of her red-gold curls that looked like spun copper in the sunlight. He was picturing her chameleon eyes that flashed green when anger rode through her system or faded to gray when misery entered her world. He was remembering her freckled shoulders that caused her no small amount of grief when she lowered herself to compare them to the other girls in her circle, and he was thinking of the way those same shoulders reached all the way to her ears in a way to make swans envious. And because he was a man, a healthy and strong and rakish man, those thoughts started to traveling the roadways of a body he could only imagine. And because his thoughts had turned to such dangerously dark, such earthy rich places he had to walk briskly from the sunlit of the training yard to the cool darkness of the barn. As he stood there, he looked towards the main house and could feel his heart stutter as across the yards of well manicured lawns and flowerbeds he could see her.2

It seemed as if she flew to him, that she was in the dark of the porch one instant and standing near him in the dark of the barn the next. The smell of hay and horse manure battered against her senses, but she could only see him. His eyes, a rich mahogany color that blazed heat into her very core were wide and tilted in the corners like a cat. He bent at the waist, his broad shoulders tightened the cream colored shirt of his station. He never dropped his eyes though, as a good servant should, and she felt her breath being trapped in her throat. "Mistress Lecky."3

"James," she tried to say only her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Instead she dipped her head and then sent her mind scrambling for something to say. 4

He raised one brow, the corner of his mouth quirking as he looked at her. "Was there something, Mistress Lecky?"5

"Yes." Only she didn't know what. She watched, fascinated and horrified as he stepped closer, his dark curls sliding over his brow. "I...I wanted to ask you about the saddle soap you used on Tara's bridle last time we came visiting." She took a step back as he leaned forward. 6

"It's a special mix, something my Da's da concocted in the old country." James smiled, and continued to stalk her as she backed up. "I could give you some, Mistress Lecky. If you wish."7

"I...yes. That would be helpful, thank you." She stopped when her back hit a wall, and she gave a very unlady like squeak. "That would be quite lovely."8

"Was that all?" James asked, his voice dropped to a husky breath as his eyes roamed over her face and body. He placed one hand over her head and leaned in to smell the flowers that were pinned to her curls. "Was there anything else that I could, could offer assistance with?"9

"You, you, you! No, sir, there was nothing else. You take liberties that are not yours to even consider!" She gasped out, trying to be outraged but the intense heat poured off of him and singed her thoughts. "You should move. Right now! Before I call Master Williams and have you whipped!" 10

"Ah, not exactly the response you had at the masked ball a few nights back," he said softly, one hand caressing her arm as he would his charges, trying to quiet the nervousness from her. "When I caught you out in the garden," James reminded her when she didn't respond. "You looked like a fairy, standing under the inky black sky with shoulders battle stiff and fury leaking from every tip of you hair."11

"I...my chaperon was most ungentleman like. He expected things, and I-"12

"And you are a good girl. Or so you claimed until you pressed your beauty against me, and kissed me until my eyes nearly crossed. I felt your heart hammering in your throat as my mouth skimmed your heated flesh and I-" 13

"Sir, I do not recall what you are talking about. That was not me," she stated, and smacked at his hand. He caught it easily and kissed her wrist right by the lacy edge of her glove.14

James chuckled. "Oh, Elnora, darling, why must you fight me? Why must you fight what you want?"15

"Be-because it's what is proper for a young lady of society," she recounted woodenly. But her body arched towards him, her mouth open and inviting."Proper young ladies should always keep temptations and desires locked deep down, and stay away from any element that might cause them to break free."16

"And what does a proper young lady want from a lowly stable boy?" He brushed his knuckles over her cheek and traced her jaw line with one thick, strong finger.17

"Nothing," she whispered.18

"Are you sure, Elnora?"19

"No," she breathed out against his mouth as he tilted her head up.20

"Tell me."21

"I-" Shock had her eyes springing open, her desires battling against his own. "What?"22

"Tell. Me," James said, his lips brushing against the corner of her mouth. "Tell me what you want."23

"I...I can't," she said, trying to pull away from him only the wall was blocking her escape.24

"Try. Tell me what you want from me, Elnora."25

"I, no. James," she sighed, her thoughts dipping into the realm of things she didn't know as his mouth nipped her jaw. She stared at him as images she didn't really understand fluttered against her brain, images of skin that had never seen the sun pressed against grasping hands and open mouths with lots of whispered moans while eyes stayed shut tight in sheer pleasure. "Kiss me."26

"What was that, Mistress Lecky?" he said, teasingly. 27

Instead of answering, Elnora grabbed his clean shaved jawline in her gloved hands and jerked him towards her. She could feel time itself stop as liquid heat surged through her from the inside and seared her veins to the tips of her toes and the ends of her fingers, and she had to grip his arms to keep from falling right off the edge of the world. 28

For a moment he seemed shocked at her boldness, but then he enveloped her in his arms and Elnora moaned. James took the opportunity to slip his tongue over her teeth and send electronic shocks through her that had her jerking her body towards his. He turned their melded bodies before bending at the waist to dip her while colliding his pelvis into hers. James supported her fragile, delicate frame with one arm around her arms and one hand on her lower back while skimming his tongue over her own.29

Suddenly they were on the floor, rolling together in hay and sunshine. His teeth scraped her tender shoulder while her fingers threaded through his hair. Her hips arched to met his, her moans were drowned out by his own, and she could barely manage to enjoy one sensation before her body was exploding with another. 30

"James," Elnora called out when his mouth moved away form her lips. "I-"31

"Elnora? What are you doing?"32

Elnora's eyes snapped open and she was staring at the elderly Lady Williams who's blue veined hands were folded over each other on top of her gold headed cane. She felt her blood thrumming through her entire body and couldn't begin to comprehend how she had came back into the house from the stables. She looked around at the other ladies who were talking softly in small groups around the airy drawing room and sighed heavily. "I...I must have fallen prey to the heat and became sleepy, mi'Lady. I am sorry."33

"Well, I should think that some one of your household would have better manners, Elnora. Perhaps you should be excused from the ball this evening if you can't manage to be social now," Lady Williams said harshly. 34

"Oh, no. Lady Williams, I am very sorry. Please." She knew James would be sneaking into this ball also and she had to be there. She had to!35

"You look flustered, are you ill? I can not abide sickness in this house!"36

Elnora flushed some more, as the conversations started to die down and the girls started to turn towards them. "No, mi'Lady. I am quite well. Just the...heat."37

"Well, go take a walk. I do declare, that these young girls are such ninnys," Lady Williams stated, though she didn't turn to really address anyone. She sniffed loudly and pulled out a lace handkerchief to rub against her lips. "What you need is fresh air. Go on now. But stay from the gardens, the perfume will cause you to swoon. Try the paths near the stables."38

"The stables," Elnora said slowly, her green eyes meeting the faded blue of Lady Williams. She watched, shocked, as the woman had a twitch that looked like a wink and could have sworn that the lace was covering a smile. "Yes, mi'Lady. Thank you."39

"Never fear, dearie. Just make sure you don't step in anything you can't handle." She watched as Elnora Lecky nearly bolted from the room. She had seen the looks at the young woman had shot out towards the stables and she had heard the rumors of the girl at the masked ball last week. She turned to meet the eyes of Richard Williams, her own stable boy from years ago when she was a young heiress. 40

And she knew from the smile on his face he was thinking of her.41