AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello guys! as you can see I'm back! This chapter is a little shorter than normal because honestly, I did not want to leave you waiting much longer after so many days without updating the story...but don't worry, I'm already working on the next chapter ;) and hopefully will be able to update on the weekend (I'll keep my figers crossed!) Meanwhile, enjoy this chapter and I promise to reward you for the wait. Thank you so much for your support and patience. You are the best! ;)
CHAPTER XXXVII (Piper's POV)
"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?" It was the hundredth time she asked. Of course, spending the day without her was the last thing I wanted, but to some extent I felt guilty for having taken all of her time, when Nicky needed her too
"I'll be fine" I forced myself to say with boredom, not wanting her to know how difficult it was for me to be away from her "In any case, I can call you if I came to need you urgently" That seemed to reassure her. I was touched to be aware that she was as reluctant to leave my side as I was to leave hers.
"Alright" She said as if defeated "I will try to be at home as soon as possible, but I can't promise you anything"
"Don't worry about it, I should also catch up on my duties" The chores of the house had been completely neglected by me for the last days; maybe it was time to return to the routine
"I have to go now" She let me know with unhappiness. We engaged ourselves in an eternal hug as if we were saying goodbye for a long trip. She kissed me deeply and neither of us seemed willing to finish the kiss…
"It's late already!" Nicky had lost her patience, but she was right to do so…I had held Alex for too long already, since she wanted to have breakfast with me before leaving, and I had walked with her to the stables very slowly to share with her until the last second; already at the stables an exasperated Nicky waited for us with the horses ready
"Alright alright!" Alex exclaimed defensively at Nicky's reprimand "I really have to go now…" She said sorrowful and I couldn't help but show discontent "The sooner I leave the sooner I'll be home" She said highlighting the positive aspect of the situation
"Then go!" I encouraged her making her laugh. She gave me a last peck on my lips and climbed gracefully on her horse while I observed her with my aching heart. Our eyes met again for a moment, she looked at me with a tender gesture
"I'll miss you" She said
"Oh for all heavens…!" Nicky muttered encouraging her horse to start the march
"I'll miss you too" I told her; she winked at me playfully and went after Nicky
I kept watching them while they rode away at a slow pace, since they were accompanied by eight large wagons loaded with coal operated by drivers who held the reins of 4 horses at a time. The beasts dragged with great ease the mountains of coal but at a very slow pace…How long would it take her to return at that pace?...I thought frustrated. Only when the caravan led by her was lost into the mass of dead trees, I resigned myself taking a deep breath and headed to the kitchen to organize the tasks for the day. If I was going to spend all day without her, I thought it would be best to stay occupied, and thankfully, there were many chores to carry out.
"Have they left already?" Red asked me when I she saw me
"Yes…" I said spiritless "I will make good use of the day to do some chores…" I informed her "Where are the girls of the service?" I wondered since it was strange not to find them in the kitchen during breakfast time
"They have returned to the common dining room…" She said casually
"But why?" I asked puzzled
"They must have found the air in my kitchen somewhat hostile" She continued with a careless demeanor
"Red…" I said her name reproachfully. From the beginning she had refused to have those women in her kitchen; who knows what she did to make them go back to the common room
"I did not do anything!" She exclaimed defensively "They left willingly; maybe they felt uncomfortable without your company…" It was easy to imagine that in my absence Red would surely have behave rudely to them
"Then I'll ask them to come back" Of course Red did not like my words but she could not object to my decisions. So, I went to the secluded area that was the common dining room to find the girls and organize the work of the day. In the hall, near the entrance I could already hear her voices…
"I'm telling you…the evil has corrupted her…she had been taken hostage by it, she has not even left its room" I came to a halt knowing immediately that they were talking about me, but I could not discern who that voice belonged to. I approached stealthily to eavesdrop more closely…
"And I'm telling you…that we should stop talking about this…we can't do anything for her" That time I recognized Jefferson's voice
"She's right…we can't do anything for her anyway" Jones added with sadness. I was paralyzed trying to understand what I just heard…Did they really think that Alex was holding me against my will? The simple thought made me angry since they had no idea what they were talking about but thinking it over and over again, I could not judge them from thinking the worst of her, when I had done the same thing in the past. I tried to recover from what I had just heard so they could not know that I had been listening. After breathing deeply several times I entered the room with determination…
"Good morning ladies!" I said cheerfully. Obviously, I had taken them by surprise. They all got up at once from the table with unease
"Good morning ma'am" They responded in unison
"What are you doing here? I looked for you in the kitchen and you were not in there…" I inquired lightly in an attempt to make some conversation; for a moment nobody answered "So?" I encouraged them to speak
"We are perfectly comfortable in here ma'am" Jones was the one to speak. It took me aback her distant and so formal tone; of all the girls in the service, she was who I thought I had the closest relationship with
"Well…I really would like us to resume our previous routine…" I said "I know I've been absent, I've been…sick" I lied to justify my days off. I noticed some exchange of glances around the room at my words "There are a lot of things to do, so if you have finished with your breakfast, I would like us to start organizing the tasks of the day" I informed them graciously
"Yes ma'am" They agreed, but I felt some discomfort in the way they responded
During the morning I had tried to dispel the uneasiness in the air. Clearly, they were treating me differently. I had noticed certain sideways glances directed towards me, and I had caught Jones watching me with a pitiful expression on her face, as if she felt sorry for me…
"Are you alright?" She asked me guardedly while we took off the sheets from the big bed
"Why should not I be alright?" I retorted defensively
"You said you were sick" Something in the way she said it made me understand that she had not believe my story
"Oh…yes…it was a very bad cold" I worsened the reality of what had happened "But Lady Vause took care of me and helped me overcome it" Somehow I wanted to make it clear that Alex had not held me against my will or anything like that. She did not make further questions.
I felt terribly lying about the whole situation, as if I was ashamed to tell them the truth. I felt that those women would judge me if they knew that I loved her and that I had been sharing that same bed more than willingly. I knew I should not care about anyone's opinion, and why should I be ashamed? Even so, deep down, I was discomfited. I decided to ignore their inquisitive looks. While they finished cleaning the room, I locked myself in the library with the excuse of checking the inventory notebooks. The market was in less than a week, so it would be better to check what was needed. At lunchtime, they went straight to the common dining room; I decided not to insist that they stay in the kitchen with me. At least I had Red to join me at the table. After lunch, we also checked on the food supplies, although Red did all the work since she understood about quantities and how long it took the food to perish. At those hours I had done so many chores and yet the morning had seemed eternal. I held back from not thinking about her with a lot of effort, not wanting to call her accidentally.
In the afternoon there was nothing left to do; I decided to take a bath since I had not take one for two days already, because Alex would not let me because of my cold. I asked the service staff to send the water to my room, so they took it to my old room; I did not clarify that Alex's room was also my room then; I found it pointless to make it clear. I took a very unnecessary long bath in an attempt to kill some time, and after it, I headed to our room to wait impatiently for her arrival. I went back to the library leaving the door that led to the room open to be aware of her arrival and I turned my attention again on the inventory to do some estimate of what was needed, thankfully it took me some time since I did not know much about numbers. I realized that it was getting dark at some point and then I began to get really impatient for her extended absence and it became really hard not to think about her. At dinner time, I went to the kitchen to eat a little snack; I was not really hungry, I was just looking for some way to kill time. Red got me on my nerves when she casually let me know that it was unusual for them to take so long to return; she did not seem worried about it, and she assured me that there was nothing to worry about, but even so, her words only worsened my anxiety. I went back to the room and started walking in circles until I could not take it anymore and I just called her closing my eyes in concentration. A few seconds passed and I felt the familiar coldness of her hands on my face, covering my eyes from behind…I smiled widely incredibly relief feeling a sense of wholeness, as if my existence had no meaning without her; I needed her by my side so that everything made sense
"Alex…!" I exclaimed pleasantly surprised. I turned around to meet her face lit by the gleam of a beautiful smile, I did not hesitate a second to wrap her in my arms, provoking in her a rough and animated laugh…
"Was this your emergency?" She asked amused
"I couldn't help it" I said with my face buried in the crook of her neck, a little embarrassed for my covetousness towards her
"It's alright, I was almost finished anyway" That fact made me feel worse
"I'm sorry…I interrupted you…" I said remorsefully, moving my face away from her neck to assess her
"I don't care, I was so happy to hear your voice" She said genuinely stirring my insides
"Do you…have to go back?" I asked her slightly upset only to think about it…Please don't go
"No…Nicky can take care of the rest alone, there was not much left to do" She disregarded to appease my concerns and leaned towards me to place her lips gently on mine making sounds of contentment "I missed you today" She delivered filling the inside of my mouth with her icy breath
"I missed you too…" I muttered moistly against her lips
"How about a bath?" She broke the kiss to ask me intently to which I just nodded in a daze
"I'll go to tell the staff to prepare your bath" I forced myself to say, my mind was slightly clouded
"I can do it" She added immediately
"No! I want to do it…let me take care of you" She had been so caring to me the last few days, especially during my cold, that I wanted somehow to return all those kind attentions…
"Alright…" She said mystified; my words seemed to be to her liking. I gave her a quick kiss and hurried to the kitchen. I got there short of breath and immediately ordered the staff to take the water to the Lady's room and I ran back to her. She was already stripped of her clothes of the day and covered in her usual black silk gown that made her look so appealing
"That was fast" She told me with a big smile
"Not as fast as you though…" I said panting heavily "The water is on its way" I informed her after taking a deep breath
"Then what are you waiting for to take off your clothes?" She asked me impishly while walking towards me
"Actually…I've already bathed this afternoon" I confessed feeling suddenly guilty as I saw her look of disappointment. Evidently, she was waiting for us to take a bath together…
"Well…that I know, no one has ever died from bathing twice in a day" She wiggled her eyebrows playfully grasping my waist with her arms. The idea was tempting, of course, but I had another plan in mind…
"I told you that…I wanted to take care of you…" I felt my face lighting up with the heat of embarrassment.
"I like how that sounds" She simply said ignoring my blushful state maybe not to cause more discomfiture in me "I see that you have taken up your duties very seriously…the place is very clean"
"At some point someone had to do it" I told her jokingly. The knocking sound startled me slightly. The girls were already at the door. I went to open the door and let them in… "Come in please" I greeted them with big courteousness; they walked in reluctantly, their eyes filled with fear, as always happened when Alex was present. For a moment I wanted them to get to know her other self to stop fearing her, but the thought bothered me in an unfamiliar way because deep down, I felt truly privileged to know her other side and deep down, I wanted to be the only one to know her most intimate being, the one that had made me fall hopelessly in love with her. I lingered at the entrance waiting for them to get out of the bathroom after pouring the water into the tub "Thank you so much, and have a good night" I wished them to which they responded with vast formality…I closed the door behind them and got to see how Alex left behind her sullenness towards the girls…the hardness of her face softened in the moment our eyes met, and the blackened irises were degrading gradually to their light green as clear as the water; I was spellbound watching her from some distance and thought that I was definitely very lucky to know that other part of her…
"I think you said you were going to take care of me…is that correct?" She wondered playfully taking me out of my stupefaction
"That's correct" I asserted and walked towards her and took her right hand to drag her to the bathroom. She watched me with delight when I started to strip her of her nightgown boldly "Get in the bathtub" I said with confidence after leaving her body faultlessly naked
"As you wish" I could say she was surprised by my forwardness. She got in the water and I knelt behind her and without asking her, I started combing her silky hair, as dark as the night sky
"I was worried about you" I told her making some conversation while my fingers ran along the black strands
"I told you not to worry about me" She retorted tenderly
"Yes but, it was taking you a long time to be back, I thought something had gone wrong"
"The truth is that things did not go well today" She said with tired tone
"What happened?" I asked truly curious about her day, as I started to brush her hair with the hair comb
"Two carriages went off the road and the coal was scattered all over the ground…" She explained
"That's terrible…someone got hurt?"
"No…but it took us a lot of time to reload the wagons with the coal" She said irritated "Nicky miscalculated the amounts of coal and overloaded the wagons, that's why they overturned"
"Poor Nicky…I hope you have not been too hard on her" I could only imagine Alex's scolding towards Nicky
"Poor Nicky?" She said in disbelief "She is to blame for me not having been at home earlier!"I laughed at her annoyance.
After her brief outburst, she calmed down and let me wash her hair as she had done with me in our last bath together. She murmured sounds of zest while my fingers massaged her scalp with my pads. I cleared her hair by pouring water with a small bowl, removing the traces of the soapy essence. There was something tremendously appealing in the act of bathing her, to be able to touch her so caringly and giving her such cares, as many as she had given me. Moved by my suddenly uninhibited instinct I proceeded to rub the soft skin of her shoulders and upper back. She seemed very receptive to my touch and the sounds of pleasure became gradually more persistent. Ever so lightly I caressed the smooth skin of the arch between her neck and shoulders, letting my hands venture further and further away, over her shoulders and down her chest, without touching her breasts. My breathing turned ragged inadvertently and the pleasant ardor in my core was growing dangerously as well as the heat on my face. I looked over her right shoulder, seeking to discern her intimacy through the water, but the water was clouded by the essences and I could only imagine the picture. The images of two nights ago invaded my head, when for the first time I was the one to indulge myself with her body; the experience had been as satisfying as when she had done it to me. My mouth watered thinking about it and I wondered if that night I would have the opportunity to taste her again.
At that moment, she seemed to perceive my yearnings, as always, as if she could read my mind and know my inner motives. Her hands came out of the water reaching for mine, perched on her shoulders. She curled my wrists with languid fingers, pulling me forward by attracting my hands down her body. From behind, my hands molded her bountiful mounds making her release a heavy moan; nothing had ever felt so good in my hands. I came to look down her breasts over her right shoulder; she turned her head to face me with a devious smile
"Is this what you meant by taking care of me?" She asked with mischief. The answer was no, actually I was just thinking about assisting her during the bath although I should have suspected that the bath would end in something else. My bolted heart did not help me to answer her question so without words, I leaned forward looking for her lips. She captured my lips slowly at first to abruptly changing the motion of hers up to an almost violent delicious rhythm that made me lose my sense. She seemed hungry for my lips, maybe after two days of not giving me so passionate kisses because of my stupid cold. She nibbled the rim of my mouth mightily causing in them a sensation of pleasant soreness, while my intrepid hands enjoyed massaging her breasts; her hands over mine only encouraged me to intensify the kneading movement, making me go as far as she guided me. She began to steer my more than disposed right hand down her body submerging it under the warm water. The flawless skin of her abdomen was heated due to the water; it felt strange not to feel her characteristic coldness. Very slowly she continued sinking my hand until the tip of my fingers met the patch of bristly hair and my heart almost stopped in its tracks…
"Make me come…" She growled against my then swollen lips. I did not even understand what she had meant by that statement but there was no time to ask or think. She guided my hand between her legs sliding my middle finger in her innermost. She caught my lower lip almost painfully with her teeth and her breathing became heavily throaty. Without thinking I began to stroke her with my finger trying to remember everything about the time she had taught me to touch myself; she let go of my lip to release a moan that resonated in the small, steamy bathroom "Arrghhh" She threw her head back and from her wet hair splashed drops that fell on my lap.
My devastated mouth looked desperate for contact with any part of her; I planted my lips on the delicious curve of her exposed neck and I let my tongue to trace the soft skin in there. I still felt some shame doing certain things, and my body and mind wavered at all times making me feel extremely overwhelmed by the whole situation; maybe all of her was simply too much to handle. I could not explain with words the desire I had for her and wondered if she felt the same yearning; her right hand inadvertently clinging greedily to the hair behind my head made realize that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
"Pipes…" She moaned and her left hand went to assist me in giving her pleasure. Her movements were more precise and she limited my strokes to a small area; I paid close attention to the touch of my fingers, with them it was easier to discern which her most susceptible point was. I closed my eyes in concentration since I wanted to learn her by heart "That feels so good…" She muttered while I stroked her relentlessly.
My left hand kept kneading obstinately her breast and my mouth was reluctant to break the contact with her skin; I had not enough hands or mouths to cover all of her body, I thought with despair. Suddenly, she stopped guiding my movements and both of her arms went to rest on the edge of the bathtub and her body relaxed infinitely sinking slightly deeper into the waters leaving her pleasure completely in my hands; I would have been lost if it were not for the constancy of her moans, that among her hectic breathing, were my best guide. I immediately recomposed myself from my befuddlement encouraged by the fact that she was already mine…right? That thought encouraged me to the highest degree and I began to gently rub that hidden spot between her legs feeling superbly powerful of having her in my hands.
"You are doing so good…" She approved with ragged voice tilting her head to one side to face me. I did not need her to tell me that she wanted my lips. Her fleshy lips were parted and passive, leaving me in charge of establishing the rhythm of the new kiss. I feasted nibbling delicately her upper lip and letting the tip of my tongue peek from time to time traveling the rims, very slowly, as if it were a candy that I wanted to last forever in my mouth "Mhmmm…I should…" She began talking between kisses "Leave for the day more often…" she joked causing the greediness to grow within me
"I don't want to be without you for so long, never again" I said in a voice full of authority, a voice that was not mine, stopping all of my movements at once. The sudden confession made her withdraw her face away from me. She opened her darkened eyes with an indescribable brightness in them…
"I don't want to be away from you either" She spoke softly after some seconds of silence, rewarding me with a captivating half smile.
We stared into each other's souls for a magic instant and I resumed the movement of my fingers deciding to keep the distance from her mouth. As much as I liked to kiss her, there was something tremendously engaging about seeing into her eyes while I touched her. Her wicked gaze only made me grow in confidence and to make bolder moves with the hand I kept under the water. I put more pressure with my fingertips over her core, which caused her hips to rise receptively to the more prominent touch, causing the water inside the bathtub to wave for a moment. I fondled the small nub thinking about how I would like to be touched by her. I took pride on the reactions I was provoking in her; she closed her eyes again, unable to keep them open and raised her face to the ceiling, throwing her head back to hang it over the edge of the tub and discharging the most astounding sounds of satisfaction. Her arms perched on the tub's sides tensed and her muscles became more pronounced; her hands clung to the edges to the point where I thought her fingers would break; the swollen veins along her arms seemed carved in white marble, she had never looked so marvelous…
"Faster…" She got to say with her voice imbued with guttural sounds whose echoes I could feel in my chest and increased as I obeyed her last command. I enhanced the stroking movement ecstatic with the image of her trembling being into the waters bending her legs by the knees and parting them as wide as she could in the narrow tub, exposing herself more openly to me. Her breathing became violent, resembling the roar of some animal. My own core throbbed painfully begging for her attentions, a sensation that grew with every second that passed observing her reactions, I could feel her pleasure reflected in me, so when she arched her back raising her chest infinitely, letting out a loud and heavy moan, I was breathless, open mouthed and rapt on high like never before. Her relief became my relief. Above the sounds emanating from her mouth, and I think also from mine, I distinguished a sturdy dry cracking of something that I did not know at once what it was, until my knees on the floor detected the warm humidity. At the end of her clenched hands I noticed pieces of porcelain that belonged to the bathtub. She had broken the edges causing big cracks on both sides of the tub, from which water began to spill. She did not seem to notice since her hands continued clinging to the broken pieces when her body collapsed resting on the remains of the bath. My hand stopped its movements and I kept it motionless, pressed sweetly against her core waiting for her to leave behind her visible stunned state. As always, that inanimate state of her always worried me deeply; for a moment I forgot about the spilled water all over the floor and I kissed the right side of her face tenderly, wanting to soothe her. Her chest rose prominently with every intake of air while her hands began to relax, dropping the porcelain chunks. I held her in my arms, hugging her from behind wrapping her shoulders tightly and pressing our cheeks together. I wanted to understand why she always seemed so devastated every time we engaged ourselves in body. I did not say anything and I just filled her with caresses and affection as her breathing became more regular. After a very long moment she shifted under my touch and raised her head opening her eyes
"What…?" She mustered "Where is the water?" She finally realized that the tub had been emptied
"You broke the tub…" I explained her softly and her whole body began to tremble; I was scared for a single second, until I heard her rough laugh
"Yes…I think I did" She traversed the jagged edges with her hands as if assessing the damage "I guess we'll need a new one" Despite her light tone, I was not calmed down
"Are you alright?" I couldn't help to ask
"Alright?" She repeated turning her face to her right, towards me "You made me break the bathtub…trust me…I'm more than alright" She said smiling widely and I felt a pang of shame for what had just happened "Get me a towel would you?" She said after capturing my lips warmly. I stood up with some effort; my legs were numb from having been on my knees for so long. I walked towards the chair on which it was folded the cotton cloth and I spread it in the air while walking towards her; she got up too and walked out of the bathroom evaluating the wet floor "What a mess!" She exclaimed cheerfully as I covered her broad shoulders with the towel, wrapping her fondly
"I'll tell the girls to clean it…" I suggested and she immediately dragged me closer to her by my waist
"Forget about the mess…let them clean it tomorrow" She looked at me with devilry "Now I just want to reciprocate your wonderful cares" My mouth got dry in an instant and my heart skipped several beats…
"What about your dinner? Aren't you hungry?" I forced myself to ask her, trying not to be so selfish thinking about my needs and focusing on her, after all, I had told her that I would take care of her
"Oh…I am famished" She affirmed with a scheming smile
"Then let me get you something for dinner" I felt her arms surrounding my waist with vast force as soon as I said that, preventing me from moving away from her
"That will not be necessary…I already have what I want for dinner" She said lowering her voice
"And what is it?" I asked slightly puzzled by her tone
"You" She said with raspy voice causing a little noise to come out of my throat "I will have you for dinner…" She promised solemnly; I could not feel my legs and I thought they failed me for a moment. The only thing that kept me from falling was her strong grip "You are feeling better right?"
"Am?" I babbled like an idiot completely besotted
"The cold…" She had to remind me of it
"Oh! Ahmmm…I'm totally over it" I honestly said
"I'm glad that that is the case because…I could not wait a second more" And to honor her words, she did not wait a second to lift me in her arms impetuously and carrying me hastily to the bed, where she dropped us unceremoniously. As soon as our eyes met again, her rashness seemed subdued and observed me from above like someone who would contemplate a painting trying to understand its meaning "What have you done to me?" She inquired with accusatory tone, but the tenderness behind the words made me understand what she really meant. I caressed the wet strands of her hair and tucked them behind her ears lovingly while answering…
"Probably the same as what you have done to me" She pondered my words and a sweet smile was drawn on her face
"That's impossible" She said slightly shaking her head in denial and kissed me, giving me no time to refute her statement. What did she mean by that? That what she caused in me was not comparable to what I caused in her? There would be time to discuss that. My mind was thrown into oblivion and my body took over all my senses and I let her to fill me in every possible way, feeling whole again and again in her hands.