Carnal Rites by Ines Johnson (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

When they arrived home, they were ushered immediately into the sitting room where Mother, Grand Mother and a strange woman were seated. Each woman's back was stiff. When Grand Mother saw Merlyn and Liam her eyes narrowed.

"I want you out of my house," she bellowed.

The sound shocked Merlyn, as she'd never heard the woman raise her voice so shrill. She deduced they'd found out what had happened and were now disowning her.

"Yes, Grand Mother. I'll clear out immediately." Merlyn turned to go. Belatedly, she realized she had no clue where she would go. Her eyes darted down the hall in the direction of her lab. She had experiments running now that needed to be checked, data collected, and quantified. But that way was barred. A panic set in that she would be banned from it.

"Not you." Lady Regyn pointed her finger beyond Merlyn. "Him."

Merlyn followed her Grand Mother's finger toward Liam.

"I have it on good authority that he has been cavorting with an unsavory element and has led you down that path."

"Unsavory element?" asked Merlyn.

"Lady Myra," her Mother indicated the lady seated in the settee, "reported seeing that male visiting a house of ill-repute. And now you spend the whole night out. Do you deny any of this?"

"No," said Merlyn. "I can't, but—"

"The bond proposal is off."

Two male servants came in and grasped Liam by the arms.

"No," said Merlyn. "You can't do that. I don't want that—"

But no one listened to her. Liam was carried from the room. Merlyn heard the front door open. Before she could get to the hall, another male servant blocked her path. She turned back to her Mother and Grand Mother.

"Thank you for your report, Lady Myra. We are in your debt."

Lady Myra looked Merlyn up and down with a cool, assessing gaze as she passed her to the exit.

"Merlyn, we are deeply ashamed—" Lady Regyn began.

"You can't send him away," shouted Merlyn.

"How dare you interrupt me child. I—"

"He's the one who discovered the female spermatozoa, not me. We need him."

Her Mother bristled. "Women do not need men. They need us. And now we will no longer have need for any of them. You will do your duty to this family, Merlyn. You will present the information to the Sisterhood tomorrow. Or I will have that male arrested for corrupting a woman."

"But he didn't. It was my choice."

"If you tell anyone that, it will make you appear a loose woman and you will have no standing. No one will listen to any of your findings hereafter or allow you access to a lab. Choose wisely Merlyn. Your future as a celebrated scientist—or as a woman of ill-repute with that male."

17

The taste of Merlyn's sweetness remained on Jaspir's lips.

The taste of Liam's musk sat on his tongue.

The sound of the click of the door still rang in his head. It had been a visceral snap, a break, a separation. Jaspir had been living in a dreamland for years. A dream where he and Merlyn would live happily ever after, like in a fable. Now that the door was firmly closed, he saw clearly that the line was drawn. The line had always been there. He remained on one side while Merlyn and Liam were on another.

Jaspir turned away from the door. The sun was rising. From his window, he watched Merlyn and Liam walk away from Stallions. Their body language was much improved from the previous night. They were no longer stiff.

Liam's hand went to Merlyn's lower back. He hesitated for a brief second before resting it there as though it belonged. Merlyn stiffened for a second, before her shoulders relaxed. She cocked her head to the side in that bird-like, inquisitive fashion, a small smile on her lips. Liam's lips parted, the desire in his eyes was clear from the second floor.

Liam handed her into the car. Once she was inside, he closed his eyes as though in silent prayer. Serenity washed over his face. He turned his head up and caught Jaspir in the window. Liam's smile was full of gratitude. He raised his hand and waved before ducking into the conveyance.

Jaspir turned back to his room. He would continue to dream of her, but he'd no longer try to cross his dreams with reality. He had every confidence that Liam could now take care of Merlyn in every way that she needed.

He closed his eyes and flashes of Liam's head buried between Merlyn's thighs assaulted him. Flashes of Liam's cock throbbing as he plunged it into her depths. Merlyn's head thrown back in ecstasy, her eyes pleasure-glazed with no quantifiable thought in her head. Jaspir's heart felt heavy and light at the same time.

The sun was up fully now. Merlyn and Liam were likely in their lab going over their findings. Jaspir hadn't had time to tell Liam that he'd alerted the Male Voice to the impending insemination trials. The trials wouldn't affect Jaspir, but he couldn't leave mankind to the whims of the likes of Lady Angyla. He'd done what he could for mankind, now he was leaving society behind.

There were empty boxes in his closet. He took them out and began to pack. Opening his drawers, he saw that his clothing was neatly folded. That was curious because Jaspir never took the time to fold. There wasn't much to do. He went to the drawer in his closet where his money was kept. Liam had handed him his final payment before he left this morning.

Jaspir weighed the gems. It was more than enough for the land and some comfort items beyond that. Jaspir didn't need much in the way of comfort. The money in his palm would last him for the rest of his days.

There was a knock on the door. Jaspir tucked the gems inside one of his boxes labeled planting tools. He'd known the men of this establishment for years and considered a few friends. But they were all con artists.