Page 61 of House of Soot

My heart speeds up as I follow the path Blaise took. Through the party's noise, I catch fragments of worried whispers about investigations and rumors. Mrs. Kean won’t like that.

I enter the library just as Ronan corners Blaise by the fireplace. They speak in hushed tones, Blaise's jaw tight withbarely contained emotion. Whatever Ronan's saying has him on edge.

"Champagne?" I offer, approaching with measured steps.

Ronan waves me away without looking, but Blaise's eyes lock onto mine. The intensity in his gaze makes my breath catch. There's something dark there, something that makes me hesitate on my resolve to tell him about the baby.

"That will be all," Ronan dismisses me.

I retreat. Maybe tonight isn't the right time, after all. I make rounds through the room, stealing glances at Blaise. He's speaking with another guard, his expression serious, focused.

I watch as he excuses himself from the other guard and heads toward the garden doors. Maybe I should follow him, tell him about the baby now.

“We need more wine,” the head server tells me.

“Right away.” Still, I go to Blaise first. “I have to go to the wine cellar. It’s dark and scary. I think I need a guard.”

It takes a moment for the guard part of him to shift. “Is that so?”

“I’ll make it worth your while.” I don’t know what’s come over me all of a sudden, but I want to jump him.

I move on, bringing the tray to the kitchen and then making my way down into the basement to the wine cellar. The basement is huge with a theater, gym, storage, and of course, the wine cellar. What many don’t know is that there are all sorts of secret passages throughout the house, with several in the basement, including one that exits to the road outside the wall. When I asked Mom about it, she said she thought it was put in during prohibition but was out of use once alcohol was legal again.

I laugh at myself, thinking of the memory of showing the passage to Ronan when I was just a girl. It was one of the few times he showed me attention.

I slip through the door, breathing in the musty scent of aged wood and cork. Rows of bottles line the walls.

"Jenna?" Blaise's voice carries through the cellar. "Everything okay?"

I step out from behind a rack of vintage reds. "More than okay." I don’t hesitate. I fuse my lips to his, press my body to him.

He groans, his hands settling on my hips, pulling me closer.

His breath catches as I trail kisses down his neck. "You tricked me down here to fuck?”

"Mmhmm. I want to show you how grateful I am." I reach for his belt, turned on and excited. I’m going to love my man and then tell him how our love created a life.

24

BLAISE

Idon’t know what I was expecting in the cellar. Maybe a few stolen kisses, but not sex. Not that I’m complaining. Ronan has been busting my balls. The only bright side tonight is seeing Jenna in her server’s uniform. It brings about all sorts of maid fantasies that are apparently going to come true.

She throws herself into my arms, her lips crashing into mine with unexpected passion. The kiss steals my breath, ignites something primal within me. Her fingers thread through my hair, and I press her back against the stone wall, pinning her there with my body.

"Someone could come down here," I murmur against her neck, though I make no move to stop. The risk only heightens every sensation, the softness of her skin, the catch in her breath, the way she arches into me.

"I don't care. I need you." She’s finally gotten my belt and pants undone.

I slide my hands up her thighs, lifting her dress. I'm lost in her, the sweet scent of flowers, the little sounds she makes as I kiss down her throat while my fingers slide over her pussy as I yank her panties down. The party feels a million miles away.Even so, the possibility of discovery sends electricity down my spine.

"Please, Blaise."

I capture her mouth again, swallowing her gasp as I lift her against the wall. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I sink into her sweet, wet pussy. Fucking hell, she’s a man’s fantasy come to life.

We move together with rising urgency. Somewhere above, glass shatters and laughter rings out. The sound reminds me of where we are, what we're risking. But I'm too far gone to care. I continue to drive into her, need coiling tighter and tighter.

“Yes, Blaise… yes… Oh.” Her body goes taut. Her pussy clamps around my cock. It’s so fucking good. I yanks me right off the edge into oblivion. I continue to rock into her, my cum filling her.

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