Blood Is Thicker...
By
Christine
Part Two
Chapter 13
Pik crept along the outside wall of the guest cottage and opened the window, his presence hidden by the foliage which outlined it. Fresh from an exhilarating hunt, he was primed with energy and could wait no longer to see his love. He hadn't seen her at all during the first three days following the father-daughter reunion. And during the next four days, he had seen her frequently, but it had been agony to feign indifference to her in Fouchon's presence, and sharing nothing but stolen glances was nearly as painful as not seeing her at all.
Once in Madeleine's bedroom, he quietly shed his coat, clothing, and boots onto the floor. He brought the engagement ring out from its hiding place and clasped it in his hand, then he slipped under the covers to join her.
Pik's sudden, warm presence immediately woke Madeleine, and Pik slid the ring onto her finger before saying a word. "Maddie, oh Maddie…" was all he could say anyway, and he pulled her tightly against him.
She had missed him to the point her heart ached, and she felt him kiss her tears of joy away as he joined with her, loved her inside and out, and claimed her as his own again. He lay on top of her, resting his weight on his elbows, her legs wrapped around his. "I am so sorry I couldn't come to you any sooner," he said.
"I know you would have if you had been able to. I'm just so happy you're here now." She still wept silent tears of relief and happiness.
They wrapped a blanket around themselves and made their way to the living room. Pik lit a fire in the fireplace and rested on the floor against the couch. Madeleine sat on the floor as well, leaning her back against the warmth of his chest. They cuddled under the blanket that way and Madeleine tried to explain to Pik her growing relationship with her father. It had been wonderful initially, but now it was not going in the direction she had imagined. She told him of all that had passed between them, and how she felt. "At first," she said, "I thought he was making up for lost time, but it was more than that. Then it was as if he was being extremely devoted, but that wasn't exactly it either…" She trailed off.
Pik finished her thought, having seen for himself what was going on, "Your father is trying to make you into his daughter. The way he imagined you would be if he had been the one to raise you."
Pik knew Fouchon well and had clearly seen that he had become obsessed with Madeleine, focusing on her clothes, her manners, her diction, her entire outward appearance and the way she comported herself. He had immediately dismissed the maid service and hired a new one, loathe to be reminded of the days his daughter had cleaned peoples' homes for a living. He commissioned an artist to paint a giant oil portrait of father and daughter in formal wear, and Madeleine was forced to sit with him for hours for the painting. In consequence, Pik was forced to do a great deal of work on his own, which gave him less time than he thought he would have for Madeleine.
"Sometimes I wonder if it was a mistake going to Fouchon," she pondered aloud. "I try to tell him about myself, and he doesn't want to hear it. He actually forbade me to speak of my mother or of the Rourkes."
Pik explained, "He doesn't want to be reminded of a time when he wasn't in control. If you don't talk about it, it never existed."
She turned and straddled him so she could see his face. "And there's something…dangerous…I feel when I'm around him. I'm…afraid of him, Pik."
"Shhhh. Shhhh. Maybe, Maddie, maybe in a few weeks, he'll calm down. I'll try to get him to focus more on…business…which he has been putting off. It'll give us more time together."
He pulled her close to him and kissed her sweetly, "No more talk…it's just us here now." Passion deepened his kiss, and he lifted her by her hips and settled her onto him, and him into her, and it was sheer bliss. She threw her head back as his strong hands guided the movement of her hips, and they both savored every second of the pleasure they shared. She collapsed onto him, her hands clasped behind his neck, and dozed off. She awoke a little later as he was carrying her back to her bed. He dressed, kissed her gently, and left the way he came in.
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