Seacrets (18 page)

"Why, yes Captain. Thank you very kindly." Maura allowed Daniel to retrieve the basket from the ground next to her. He stepped in front of her to open the screen door leading into the kitchen area. With the basket in one hand he bowed low before Maura and swung an arm up and out to his side and said, "After you my lady."

Maura passed by him with a deliberate slowness. She was completely unaware she had a naturally arousing swagger to her step. He could not take his eyes from her hips, as they swayed side to side. If she only knew what she was doing to him inside. He kept thinking that he was going daft. This is nonsense that I should be so smitten by this slip of a girl.

Girl my arse
, he thought,
she's every bit a woman as I've ever known, and I will have her in my bed once again. But I must remain patient. Patient with her...and with himself.

His mother's voice broke his concentration. "Danny! Wake up son. I said put that basket on the
table by the dry sink, so Maura may begin ta wash and prepare the vegetables." Mary knew all too well where her son’s mind was at. "I don't think I've had ya in my kitchen since ya were a child, son." Mary reminisced. "Maura, Daniel was such an adorable boy, always lookin’ ta help me ‘round the house. His father saw to it, though, ta change that." She mimicked her late husband John's deep voice while placing her closed fists to her hips and turned her shoulders from side to side in an exaggerated impression of what John may have projected. "No son of mine will be tendin’ gardens and hangin’ ‘round his mother's skirts, by God!" Both women laughed aloud at Mary's impression of John.

Daniel, however, was not laughing. Instead, he turned and walked out the back door, letting the screen door slam behind him.

Both women stopped laughing for a brief moment and then let out one last muffled snicker. Mary felt the need to explain to Maura, Daniel’s dark emotions, when it came to any perceived mockery of his father.

"Daniel was very close ta his father and does not like ta joke about him. I'll go and have a word with him." Mary sighed, while wiping off her hands with the corner of her apron.

Maura placed a hand to Mary's forearm and said "Let me speak with him. I miss my father, as well, and maybe now I have somethin’ in common with Daniel, we can both understand about each other."

Maura walked slowly toward the back door. This time the creaking sound was made by her. Daniel was at the far end of the back porch, sitting in his father's favorite chair that overlook
ing the meadow and the carriage drive. Maura drew near Daniel a bit apprehensive that he may not accept her council. She cleared her throat, to let him know she was approaching.

He need
n’t any warning of her approach, as he could smell her scent a mile away.

The late afternoon breeze, coupled with the smell of lilacs and impeding rain also filled the air. The combination of all these scents was intoxicating.

"May I sit down Daniel?" She asked, uneasy.

"If ya wish" His
reply was cold.

"Ya need ta embrace the happy memories of your father, Daniel, not forbid others so their memories will be buried with him in his grave."
Maura tried to give comfort, but it backfired miserably.

"Who are
you
ta speak o’ my father? Ya barely know me. How do ya know how I should feel about his death? His eyes were piercing.

O
ddly enough Maura was not afraid of him. She knew he was not angry with her. He was hurt. Like of a wounded wolf with a thorn stuck in its paw, unable to get it out on his own.

After a few tense moments of silence she sat beside him and put her hand upon his shoulder then spoke to him in her most gentle and understanding voice.

"Daniel I may not know you or ya family very well, but I do know hurt when I see it and your hurtin’. Not o’ the flesh but of the mind and of the heart. I miss my father and my homeland very much. I haven't a clue if he is even still alive. Daniel I hurt too. Maybe we can give solace to each other.  Anyway, ya should allow ya mother ta speak openly about ya father when the mood strikes her. It will help her ta heal from the loss o’ him in her life if she can laugh and jest about the good times. Don't ya agree?" She sat quietly awaiting his reply.

Daniel did not know why, but he actually began to feel less angst. He took in a long deep breath, turned to Maura and looked directly into her eyes and said, "Ya are right, sweet. Because I am not yet ready ta let go of my father's passin’, is no reason ta stop my mother from speakin’ of him.”

Both were completely unaware he’d taken her hands into his until a butterfly perched itself upon Daniel's outer hand. They both looked down at the same time to admire its beauty and realized their hands were thoroughly enwrapped within his. Maura did not know how to react to it except she made no physical attempt to pull away.

She was well aware of her own growing feelings whenever she was around Daniel. Yes
, 'twas true, she'd tell herself, in the beginning she was afraid of him, but over the past several weeks she has been aware whenever she is around him she has a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her heart begins to race, and her palms become moist with sweat. She is also aware that she now looks for his stallion, Demon, to come riding up the carriage road, at the end of each day. She had never been infatuated before, so all these feelings were new to her, and she had to admit...quite exciting.

Daniel cleared his throat to break their mutually pensive silence.
"Maura, as soon as ya think that ya are ready ta journey back ta Ireland, I will take ya there myself. We'll find out what has happened ta ya father." He let go of her hands and wiped his palms on the sides of his jacket.

Without hesitation Maura jumped to her feet and innocently pressed herself up against his chest, in her excitement, and squeezed him tight
about his neck. "Oh thank you Daniel. I shall be lookin’ forward ta that day...when I'm ready of course."

With her arms still wrapped tightly about his neck, he breathed in her scent. It was heady and rich like that of a well aged brandy. And just as the brandy tended to burn his throat, so too did her breasts burn through his thin summer tunic. His thoughts were
running wild, and he was immediately returned to their lusty tryst, aboard his ship. It was sad to him she had no memory of that night, but he had memory enough for the both of them. Daniel took her arms from around his neck and placed her hands to each side of her.

Maura
nervously looked off to the side. They both went silent.

Without hesitation
Daniel gently lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. He took in the whole of her facial features for the first time since that night on his ship. Her porcelain skin had just the right amount of sunglow to her cheeks, nose and forehead. Her lashes were thick and doe-like when they were shyly cast downward. He brushed his mouth against her cheek and whispered his words to her in Gaelic, telling her how truly beautiful she is in a low throaty and thoroughly sexy tone. “Ta Tu go ha lain.” 

Maura thought she would surely lose all of her composure, wh
en he spoke to her in that deep, rich Irish brogue. She could almost taste his breath in her mouth, as he brushed his lips over hers. Her heart was racing. Her chest began to heave a little heavier with each breath she took.

Daniel continued to take in the beauty of her graceful facial lines. Her eyes were almond shape
d and set apart proportionate to her tiny slim nose. Her mouth...
oh that mouth
, the object of his desire, at the moment, was perfect. Her rose pink lips were full and calling out for him to ravish them with hot lusty kisses.

In Maura’s nervousness she pressed them together and instinctively moistened them with her tongue. This was the one thing that drove Daniel wild, as he recalled.  He ached to possess that full pouty bottom lip
once again.

I
n her innocence, she had not a clue that she was whipping his thoughts into a frenzy of desirerous passion for her. His trousers were beginning to feel tight and he was becoming a bit uncomfortable, himself, with the way things were progressing between them.

Daniel could wait no longer to taste her. With their eyes
locked in passionate desire for one another, he drew her in closer. She did not resist. She wanted this to happen. She could feel this was right... as though they had always felt this way about one another. Maura intuitively lowered her lids with the expected anticipation of his kiss.

Daniel watched her velvet lashes close to the pleasure she was about to enjoy with him. 

He gently cupped her face within his masculine hands. They felt somewhat rough on her delicate skin but Maura did not mind one bit. His hands were beautiful to her as she recalled looking upon them when they became absorbed within his. They are working mans hands. There was something incredibly stimulating to her about that fact.

Daniel leaned in a bit closer
, then stopped, breathing in the sweet nectar of her breaths. And then it finally happened... the kiss he’d been waiting to experience with her since the last night they had been together.

He was so surprised at his feelings for her. The taste of her was driving him mad. He was finding it difficult to gain control of himself. He wanted to take her, here and now, but he knew he'd have to restrain his lust for her.

Daniel could feel her kissing him back, and that was driving him onward. He pulled her closer then brought her down to sit upon his lap, while still managing to hold her within
his amorous kiss. Daniel’s impatience cascaded into an even deeper, forceful embrace.

Maura pulled back
slightly. "Daniel...I...canna...breath."

He was rough in his determination to possess her again. He grasped her face in one large hand and forced her mouth open to accept his tongue, sweeping the inside of her mouth
.

Maura backed up with a frightened look upon her face. "Let go of me Daniel!" She pushed him from her and stood
. Maura touched her fingers to her lips. She could feel how swollen they were, her stomach was in knots. She turned to walk from him, heading toward the kitchen entry way.

In one long stride Daniel had hold of her forearm. "Maura, wait. I thought that ya wanted me ta continue, I mean the way that ya kissed me back, I thought..."

"You'd be thinkin' right Daniel, but I'm afraid of my own feelings right now. I’m not ready for that. I need time." Maura turned and walked back to the kitchen entryway. She looked back at him once more and then went inside to finish helping Mary.

Daniel was left with the creaking sound of the screen door in his ear. He walked back to the end of the porch, sat on the edge of his chair, elbows on his knees, hands cradling his pounding head. He ran a hand through his thick blue-black mane and then slumped back into the seat.
Oh Lord what am I in for with this girl? Do I really need want this aggravation? Why, I could have most any lass in the county...Why must I be tortured by this woman?
Then he began to think about how good it felt to hold her and kiss her again.  His questions were answered.
I must wait, plain and simple
. Then he heard his mother call out for him to go and get washed up before dinner.
"I'll be right in mother."

ξ

Chapter
Fifteen

"There’s a rider comin' with the mail Miss Gilmore!" An over excited field hand called out. Mallory was standing at the drawing room window. She made her way out to the front terrace, sat down on the porch swing and swayed back and forth, awaiting the arrival of the carrier.

"Mornin' Miss Mallory. Sure is a pretty one. Ain't she?" Frederick was a young lad of about
fifteen summers, and was always happy when he had the pleasurable excuse of delivering mail to the Gilmore estate. He had the most grand infatuation with regards to Mallory.

…A
nd she knew it, too. Why she'd bend way over to make sure Frederick had ample view of her voluptuous breasts. She'd bat her lashes, wet her lips, and has even kissed the boy on his forehead, from time to time. Mallory reveled in the notion that all men wanted her for themselves. That is to say, all men except Daniel Hargendon. Even all these months later she was still stinging from the humiliation of being cast aside. She could never abide by this, and never would.

"What have you got there for me Freddy?" She cooed at Frederick
over her shoulders and swayed her hips in that
come take me
fashion of hers. She deliberately teased the lad for her own excitement.

"There’s an invitation ta Hargendon Manor, in the bunch, I'm sure you'll be wantin' ta open that one straight off, Miss Mallory?"