Page 60 of Reflections of Silence

I stretched my cramped fingers and placed the quill on the polished wooden desk. Sebastian picked it up, sharpening its tattered end with a small knife.

“Why don’t you do some?” I yawned, still massaging my hand.

Tremors ran along its length from overuse. I pressed my palm flat to the cold surface of the desk, the coolness easing my aching muscles. Dozens of invitations and menus lay drying across the front of the broad desk.

We’d ensconced ourselves in the large, downstairs library Sebastian never seemed to use, but was decorated with evidence of his ‘human’ life—a sextant, a portrait he painted himself, though the ones upstairs in my room and the gallery were much better. That did seem to happen when one had centuries to improve on a skill. And that was the room we stayed in to work through the lists as quick as possible.

Even so, the light was beginning to intrude on our scant hours together.

“But you’re doing such a wonderful job,” he murmured, returning the pointed quill to me. “Besides, you’ve seen my attempts.”

I nodded, eyeing the crumpled papers littering the other end of the desk. While Sebastian could speak fluent English, his written form was sharp and disjointed. Amazingly, his written French was decorated with beautiful curvatures and flourishes.

“Fine, how many more to go?”

“If you’re going to mouth off like that, maybe I should tie you to that chair until you’re done. Then I’ll take that attitude out on that delicious bottom of yours.” He raised an eyebrow in my direction and pushed a small pile of fine parchment toward me.

Covering the instant flush of arousal that doused me in heat, my thighs slick in an instant, I groaned and took the top leaf. “If you say so,” I muttered, keeping up the attitude, just to see what he would do.

Sebastian didn’t disappoint.

His fingers closed around my chin, jerking my face up to stare into his dark eyes roiling with desire and need. He loomed over me, and I hadn’t even seen him move.

“I’m sorry—” I gasped, but he wasn’t having it.

“You’re lucky there are servants about. Otherwise, you’d be on your knees with my cock in your mouth until I found my pleasure in you, just enough to bring on the edge of your own. And when I was done, I'd leave you as a sticky, panting little mess,” he growled every word, arcing his body over mine.

I think I’m already there.

I swallowed when his relentless gaze held mine as though he considered following through on his threat despite the constant staff whizzing past the library door. “I’ve never done—that,” I whispered.

Sebastian’s hard gaze softened. “I know, love. I'll teach you. One day when my patience is stronger and this is all over. Ipromise you I’ll take the time to train you in what I need.” He brushed a kiss over my parted lips, and sat back down on the other side of the desk like he hadn't almost had me on my knees a second before.

I sucked in a shaky breath, and pulled the next invitation toward me. Several later, he shifted in his seat, the motion of a man whose patience had indeed run through.

“I’ll leave you for a few hours, Gella. Get Charleton to?—”

“I know how to organize a ball, Sebastian,” I snapped, then covered my face with my hands. “I didn’t mean that. I mean, I do, but— oh, I’m sorry.”

Firm hands closed around my shoulders, rubbing to my neck. I wondered if he would throw me over the desk and take what he needed from my hide, but instead he continued his massage. Pops and cracks burst from my shoulders as he manipulated my upper body. I leaned back against him as his fingers dipped into the top of my bodice.

I pressed my hands over his, unwilling to give any more time to the job at hand but knowing it needed to be done for the plan to work, even if it meant sacrificing precious moments like these.

“If we don’t get this done, we won’t have a ball. How do we know she’ll come?” I tilted my head to look up at him.

He stared back at me with fierce eyes, and I was glad I wouldn't be on the other end of his fury this time.

“She’ll come.”

I was halfway through the stack when Sebastian put himself to bed. Charleton fed me at appropriate intervals, and I was grateful to be able to exchange the completed tower of invitations intended for local families for a small platter of morsels. Charleton and Minette had made a list for us of the names in town. It turned out the staff knew most of the town, though that didn’t surprise me. We weren’t as isolated as I hadinitially thought. I handed him a few extra notices to put up in the local trading post.

Charleton balanced them on one arm and managed to pour me thick, black coffee at the same time.

“You’re a gem, Charleton. Thank you.” He nodded, his mouth opening and closing. I blinked. “Have I forgotten something?”

“Things will change after this, won’t they?”

We’d filled Charleton in on our plan—omitting the part about Amy’s planned demise. I balked still at the thought of planning something so dark, while Sebastian hadn’t so much as batted an eyelid. He withdrew his brooding presence from myself and the household by the day.

---