And now that her stomach was empty, she was starving. As she trudged toward the makeshift bed in the other room, she thought about her mother’s cooking and how it had warmed her belly on a cold day. She missed her family. She missed New Symtaria.
She listened as Nivla’s craft took off, then lay down on the lumpy cot. She wrinkled her nose. It smelled funny. She’d had to share her bed at home with her older sister. At the time she’d hated it, but at least it had been comfortable.
She closed her eyes as self-pity washed over her. Fasta, are you there? She spoke her thoughts to her animal guide.
Yes, I’m here but I’m still angry that you have put us in this position. No good will come of it.
I’ll make things right. I swear this to you.
And Excoria would do exactly as she promised, because she hated this life. She only had to come up with a plan.
CHAPTER 15
Jennifer breezed into Darcy’s room, plopping down on her bed. “I think Peter might be falling in love with Annette.”
Darcy stepped from the bathroom. “That’s what I’ve thought, but I wasn’t sure.” She sat in an overstuffed maroon chair, curling her feet under her.
“He tried to be subtle, but he mentioned her name more than once. When I asked him if he liked her, he clammed up.”
“He’s afraid.”
“Of Annette?”
Darcy shook her head. “His father.”
Jennifer nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. If Peter falls in love with the wrong woman, his father will cut him off quicker than he can say ‘trust fund baby.’”
“I feel so sorry for him. He’s always been under his father’s thumb. I heard his father telling Peter once that he had no head for business, and that he would have to resign himself to living off his inheritance.”
“He’s an ass.” Jennifer curled her lip.
“And Peter is really smart. He’s just never been given a chance to be anything more than a playboy.”
“Maybe Annette can change all that.”
“I hope so.”
“Peter’s going to the party dressed as a dragon. Annette has to be a princess. Every fairy tale I’ve read with a dragon in it always had a princess who needed saving. Except Peter is the one who needs saving.”
“Then Annette has to be like no princess Peter has ever seen,” Darcy said. “She has to be dark and mysterious.”
“Did you know the guest list is already over two hundred and that isn’t counting people who tag along?”
Great. Surely someone would know Surlock.
Jennifer hugged a pillow. “Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”
“I spoke to my mother.”
Her eyebrows rose. “And?”
“And my parents will be here next week.”
“And you still think Surlock has amnesia?” Jennifer asked.
Darcy squared her shoulders. “I know he does.”
“Then you’d better find out exactly who he is before your mother and father arrive.”
Darcy had been thinking the same thing.
Jennifer yawned. “Okay, I’m outta here. If we’re going to make this party outstanding, then I need my sleep.” She frowned. “I told Peter if he wants me to help him in the future, I need at least two months notice or he’s on his own. No more of these last minute, thrown-together affairs.” She sauntered from the room.
Darcy was tired, too. Lying to her mother had been pretty stressful. What if she suspected her daughter was lying and showed up early? After all, she’d known who’d broken the glass. No, Darcy had covered her tracks by telling her mother that Jennifer was staying here.
It did bother her that she might not know who Surlock was by the time her parents arrived. As much as they loved her, they wouldn’t let Surlock continue to stay in the guest house without knowing more about him. She couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t nearby.
She snuggled down in the bed, but no matter how many times she changed positions, it was still uncomfortable. She tossed and turned until she was afraid she was going to have sheet burns. Finally, she threw back the cover and rolled out of bed.
She went to the French doors and opened them wide, letting the cool night breeze ruffle her hair as she stepped to the balcony. Her gaze moved to the guest house. It took her a few minutes to realize that the shadow beside it moved. Excitement spread through her when Surlock stepped into the open, completely naked. The man had a serious problem with clothes, she thought as she drank in the sight of him. She liked the idea he was a nudist at heart.
Had she sensed he couldn’t sleep, either? When he held out his hand toward her, she didn’t hesitate. She went back inside, slipping out of her room, and down the stairs, then out the back door. She ran across the stones and flung her arms around his neck.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she whispered.
“Nor I when all I could think about is mating with you, feeling your naked body pressed against mine.”
He took her hand, a wicked smile curving his lips, and pulled her along with him, past the bushes and trees that surrounded the outer edges of the pool. He stopped, facing her, then slowly and deliberately, he took the hem of her white satin gown and pulled it over her head.
Darcy glanced around, shielding herself. But it was late, and no one would be up. Tilting her chin rebelliously, she moved her hands away from her body. If he could run around naked, so could she.
He laughed lightly, then grabbed her hand as they ran through the lush green grass. She joined in, laughing as well. She had never felt so free in her life. They raised their hands to the moon. Energy flowed through her. Did he feel it, too?
She inhaled the fragrance of the night—the four o’clocks that bloomed after the sun went down. Their sweet aroma filled the night air. Crickets serenaded them as the wind gently caressed their bodies like a lover’s touch. She felt like a child discovering something for the very first time.
When they stopped, both of them were out of breath. She dropped to the grass, and he followed. She lay on her back, Surlock on his side.
“It’s beautiful out here. It’s so quiet and peaceful. As if the night washes everything clean. Do you feel it, too?”
He nodded, tracing his finger around one areola. “I feel as though the moon gives me strength.”
She sucked in a deep breath when he dragged his finger across her nipple. A throbbing ache of need weaved its way down her body, settling at the juncture of her legs. She moved to her side, seeing the desire flare in his eyes when she reached down and touched him, lightly stroking her fingernails over his erection. He sucked air when she wrapped her hand around him and slowly slid down his foreskin, then brought it back up.
He closed his eyes and groaned.
“Are you in pain?” she asked with every pretense of innocence that she could muster.
He opened his eyes and growled.
She laughed.
He suddenly grew serious. “I crave your touch, the way you make me feel,” he said. Then he was reaching for her, stroking his fingers through her curls, slipping a finger inside her wet heat.
She gasped, arching toward him. The stars above her blurred and became one shining orb. When he stopped, she gasped for air, trying to fill her starved lungs.
Surlock rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him. She moved so that he slipped inside her. Exquisite pleasure rolled off her in waves. When her body had adjusted to his size, she slowly raised herself until she looked into his eyes. His eyes looked golden in the light of the moon and the star-filled sky. She doubted she would ever tire of staring at this man, or feeling him inside her, stroking her.
“You’re a temptress,” he said, his hands moving from her hips up to cup her breasts. He squeezed and fondled them until every nerve in her body felt raw with the need for more. She didn’t want any of this to stop. Darcy wanted to continue feeling like this forever.