Claimed By Chaos (14 page)

Chapter 26

“I think you'll do!” Giselle murmured. “You're a big, handsome boy.” She stroked his mane as she looked around. Finding herself alone, she poked around the stable until she found everything she needed. She couldn't help but be impressed. Lucien's stable was as large, clean and as well appointed as some of the homes and chateaus she had stayed in. His horses were gorgeous and lived in luxury.

Once she had the stallion saddled Giselle led him into the yard and put her foot into the stirrup as she pulled herself up. She heard yelling and looked toward the paddock to see Alastair and Lucien sprinting toward her. She turned in the saddle, looking to see what had them alarmed. Finding nothing of concern, she waited until they reached her. Lucien grabbed the reins and Alastair reached for her waist. Giselle slapped their hands away.

“What’s gotten into you two!” She scolded. “You'll spook him!”

“Get off before he throws you.” Alastair ordered. She felt her temper stir and she shook her head. Lucien nodded in agreement.

“No one rides Lucifer except Gilles. Half of my people have had something broken on their bodies after trying to handle him. Let me get you a different horse.” He said as he attempted to grab the reins again. Giselle pulled them out of his reach and wheeled Lucifer away. Alastair cursed and tried to stay in front of him.

“Please. Don't do this.” His eyes begged her. She shook her head.

“I wish you'd stop acting like I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not getting off this horse, Alastair.” With that, she turned the stallion toward the park. Giselle kicked and set Lucifer off and at a trot. He moved swiftly, smoothly. She looked over her shoulder to see Alastair running into the stable. She leaned down and urged Lucifer on. He surged and flew across the field. Dressed in breeches, she was able to lean low and she hugged his neck. She laughed as the wind whipped at her hair.

After the unsettling events the night before, Giselle felt tense and unsure of herself when she woke up. When she looked out her window and saw Alastair and Lucien in the paddock, she knew a long, fast ride was exactly what she needed. Preferably alone, so she could enjoy the exhilaration and ride out some of her anxieties without distraction.

It looked as if Alastair wasn't going to allow it, he was coming on fast. Giselle smiled and yelled for Lucifer to run faster as she turned him toward open fields so he could have his head. She looked back and was surprised to see that Alastair was only a length away. She sensed that he was no longer concerned, he was low in the saddle, urging his mount to overtake her.

The horses were neck and neck as they started to run out of field and approached the forest. Giselle slowed Lucifer and turned him into a narrow clearing as Alastair came alongside her.

“Do you have any idea how scared we were? Lucifer is a mean son of a bitch, you could have broken your neck.” He complained. As if he understood, Lucifer snorted and shook his head. Giselle laughed softly.

“But I didn't and Lucifer seems to like me.” Giselle leaned down and patted his neck. “I think you're a darling!” She crooned. Alastair was rolling his eyes when she sat up.

“This does solve a problem, though. I have to get him back to London and expected him to be difficult. Would you mind riding him back?” He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he steered them down a path that was just wide enough for them to fit side by side. Giselle smiled as she looked around.

“Not at all! Something tells me Lucifer won’t want me riding sidesaddle. I’ll have to wear breeches.” She looked at Alastair and couldn't help but smile as he frowned.

“You’ll have to go in disguise and we’ll have to keep our stops brief.” His eyes swept over her and narrowed. “Can you pass for a boy?” Giselle felt her lips curve.

“I have done so many times. It will be fun.” She promised. “Although we might have a problem if you keep looking at me like that while we’re traveling.” The way his eyes kept tracing her thighs and derrière, he’d give her away or people would assume he had a taste for young boys. His eyes flicked to her face and Giselle felt her breath catch in her throat. He looked wild and hungry. The urge to appease his need was overwhelming.

She leaned toward Alastair as he reached for her. He pulled her into his lap as his mouth claimed hers. Giselle pressed her chest against his and clung to his shoulders. She felt a hand close around her bottom as the other cupped her breast. His thumb found her nipple through the fabric of her blouse and chemise and brushed against it. She pulled her lips from his on a gasp and felt his tongue slide down her throat.

Alastair’s hands closed around her waist and he lifted her so that she could swing her leg over and sit astride, facing him. Giselle moaned as she felt his erection pressing against her womanhood. His hands lifted and pulled her against him and she gasped. He repeated the motion, urging her to continue. She felt wet heat explode between her thighs and she shut her eyes as she rocked against him.

“There will be nothing fun about a day in the saddle with an aching cock. All I’ll be able to think about is tearing these damned breeches off of you and burying myself in your sweet, tight body.” He growled the words against her skin as he flicked the buttons of her blouse open. Giselle felt him tug the ribbon of her chemise and then cool air against her breasts. “Even if you manage to hide yourself, I’ll still be picturing your breasts and I’ll still want to taste them.” She felt the words against her nipple before he closed his lips around it and began to suckle hungrily.

Giselle let her head fall back as his hand squeezed her other breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers. She felt the hand at her bottom pushing her harder against him and the tension within her began to tighten as she gasped for air. Alastair lifted his head and watched his hand as it stroked her breasts. When he looked up at her, his eyes were dark and his face was taut.

“There is no way for you to comprehend what your body does to me. I don’t need to see it to want you. The smell of you, the heat and the taste of your flesh, the sounds you make when you come, everything about your body destroys me.” Alastair’s fingers wrapped around her neck, pulling her close so his lips could part hers and his tongue could explore her mouth. Giselle gripped his shoulders and she continued to writhe against him as he angled his face and took their kiss deeper. Both of his hands worked at her breasts, kneading and pinching, stroking and squeezing. She pulled her mouth from his and struggled for breath as she felt her muscles lock. Alastair’s lips found her ear and she felt the heat of his breath as he whispered.

“Let go. Come for me, my love.” His tongue brushed her lobe and she flew apart. His arms closed around her as she arched and shook violently. “So beautiful.” Alastair whispered as he pressed his lips to her throat.

When Giselle was able to sit up on her own, Alastair lifted her to her saddle. Once she was ready, he guided her back to Winthorpe. For some reason, she could think of nothing to say and Alastair seemed content to watch her. She suspected he was still waiting for Lucifer’s mood to change. He noticed her watching him out of the corner of her eye and he frowned. She turned and raised a brow.

“Are you alright?” He asked softly as they approached the stables. “You haven’t said anything for some time.” Giselle smiled brightly despite feeling more unsteady than when she departed the stables.

“Of course. The ride was… more exhilarating than I had expected. I think I might go up to my room and rest.” She allowed Alastair to help her from the saddle and she pressed herself against him when the horse shielded them from the yard. He was still hard and his body was tense. “Would you like to join me?” Giselle whispered. The muscles in his jaw flickered and he shook his head.

“I wish I could.” He gripped her waist for a moment and then stepped back as Lucifer was led away. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Tonight.” He promised before he placed her hand on his sleeve and led her toward the house.

Chapter 27

Despite feeling restless and concerned, Giselle remained in her room until lunch. She tried to lay down but only fidgeted and flopped back and forth. Then, she tried reading but her fingers kept drumming against the page and her foot wouldn’t stop tapping. Eventually, she gave up and paced.

It was Alastair’s words that had her stirred up. She knew he was attracted to her but what he described seemed much stronger than what she had experienced from other men. It was very much like what she felt for him.
Is this normal?
She wondered. No. This wasn’t like the selfish, clumsy pawing she’d encountered in darkened hallways or the crude rubbing and grinding of drunken dance partners and lecherous officers.

When Alastair touched her, there was reverence and raw hunger. He was precise and enthralling, he knew what her mind needed as well as her body in order to become aroused and to find release. She felt like an instrument in his hands. Giselle shivered.
Is this getting out of hand?

She shook her head and pushed the thought away. It was most likely anticipation. They shared a very extreme, mutual attraction that would most likely lead to a very satisfying affair. Once they had actually had sex a few times, their preoccupation (obsession) with each other would wane to something more comfortable and manageable. Giselle waited for her mind to accept that assessment but a doubt tickled. She shook her head, sending it away. An echo of her turbulent thoughts the evening prior reached her and she frowned. She needed to do a better job at keeping her emotions separate from her desires.

It was perfectly safe to allow herself to be friends with Alastair when they weren’t in the bedroom. They were going to be together a lot as they searched for the last traitor. Enjoying his company and trusting him would make it easier for them to work together. Giselle just had to make sure her feelings didn't go beyond that or else it would get complicated.

When they were in his bed, she would have to make sure she focused on their bodies and the pleasure they shared. No more games and sharing secrets. She would keep her feelings out of the way. Giselle knew that what she could experience with Alastair was unique and that she would never have an opportunity to find pleasure like that with another man. She decided not to examine why it was so unique and what that would mean once it was over as she left her room and went down to lunch.

Chapter 28

His sight had begun to blur, he’d stared at the wax seal for so long. Alastair blinked several times and squeezed his eyes shut until the letter faded from his vision. When he opened them and looked at it again, there was the same flash of memory and then it was gone. Nothing else appeared that helped him place the strange seal with either of their two suspects.

His finger traced the burgundy wax circle. A lion twisted with a goat and a snake. A chimera. Alastair saw it as a taunt. The owner was flaunting his duplicity and power. As he had eluded him for so long, he couldn’t deny that his adversary had been worthy of the mythical symbol.

The last traitor had been unknowingly aided by Giselle’s disappearance and Gille’s decision to keep her identity from him. The sudden absence of Le Fantôme Noir in the field had made him suspicious and he had assumed that the agent had been one of those responsible for the loss of operatives, the last traitor’s accomplice. Alastair had spent months scouring reports and letters looking for any trace of the ghost to explain his fate or for clues of his identity. Alastair frowned. He’d been a fool to assume that Le Fantôme Noir was a man. In hindsight, a woman made much more sense. Giselle had been correct in that men were always more susceptible to women. Especially if they were beautiful.

Would he have been able to piece together her identity if he had known of Aldous’ history and that his daughter had been missing from society? It was likely. He’d known that Gilles had been with him in France. Though he found it hard to imagine Aldous letting his daughter risk her life, let alone her reputation so carelessly. Alastair had admired Aldous greatly but he found himself disappointed. He didn't have a daughter, but if he had, he would not have made such mistakes. While Alastair found Giselle to be endlessly fascinating and to his mind, perfect, he regretted that she did not experience the safe, nurturing childhood he and his siblings had. He certainly would not have chosen to indulge her desire to learn skills like acrobatics and knife throwing. Aldous had unknowingly groomed her to be what she had become. He hoped it had been unintentional. He never should have let her follow him and Gilles to France. Alastair found that unforgivable. Of course, Gilles would most likely have been killed if Giselle hadn’t been there. He sighed as he set the letter down and pressed his fingers to his temples.

Once he had been able to remove Le Fantôme Noir from the board, the field became much clearer. The information Giselle had given him was invaluable. Alastair was almost relieved at the notion of finally being able to track down the final traitor. It was early to assume victory but he was extremely confident.

It was his lack of victory in a far more personal matter that gave him pause. He and Giselle had been at Winthorpe for nine days and while he had enjoyed learning a great deal about her, his feelings and his sexual frustration were beginning to overwhelm him. Meanwhile, she continued to resist her feelings for him. Alastair had sensed the emotional barrier she put up between them. During the day, when she felt safe, she laughed and teased as the bonds of their friendship strengthened. When they met to discuss developments in their hunt for the last traitor, Giselle viewed him as an ally and respected his assessments and decisions. It was when they were alone at night, in his bed that she was most guarded and evasive. She was generous with her body and enthralled with what he was able to share of his but as soon as Alastair tried to engage her emotionally she shut him out.

He knew she was defending herself, and him, as Gilles had predicted. What Gilles hadn’t foreseen was that her objection to marriage wasn’t purely a result of her distaste for the ton and the expectation that she would only be desired for her rank and power. Giselle thought herself well beyond the pale and no longer an acceptable candidate for marriage. Alastair suspected that that had been by design. He didn’t think he was flattering himself to suspect that in regard to him, she was beginning to regret that aspect of her past.

He wasn’t at all troubled by the possibility of her activities in France becoming known. He was certain he could erase all traces of her within The War Office and as far as he could see, the only people that knew of her identity were within the family. There was a small chance that Giselle could cross paths with someone that could recognize her from France. But unless she had aspirations to maintain herself as a popular figure within the ton and demand a position within court, it was extremely unlikely. Alastair was confident she could live safely and quietly without risk of being exposed. Even if she were, he wouldn't care. He would gladly live in exile with her for the rest of his life. If it weren't for the children he wanted with her, he wouldn’t give any thought to her past.

Alastair knew he had to proceed carefully. If he pushed Giselle, she would only dig in her heels and resist him more. He had to keep looking for cracks in her walls and find a way to make her trust him. Gilles’ advice rang in his ears. He needed to let her know him. He felt his body tighten and his pulse quickened nervously. Alastair knew what she wanted to know about him and he accepted that it was inevitable, but it still made him anxious and he felt vulnerable. He told himself that it was all worth it as he rose and went to his room to dress for dinner.