Beastly Desires

Chapter Ten

Colette was nearly out of breath by the time she reached the Dubois estate. The large country house was nestled on top of a sloping hillside. It had two, tall, slender fireplaces towering on either side of it. The stones were grayish-green and brown, weathered from the gentle breeze that rolled off the hill. It was a beautiful manor with steep sloping roofs made of cedar shingles and arched windows with blue shutters. Colette ran up the hill, avoiding the front door and ran alongside the house to the back where the stables were.

Two brown mares were in their stables, chewing on some straw. Colette opened the gate to the first and led the smaller mare out before fixing onto her a pair of reigns that hung by her water trough. She didn't know where they kept the saddles and was about to drag a stool over to mount her when Gregorie strolled in. He was holding a pale of water in each hand. Today he opted to wear a pair of grass stained breeches and a simple white linen shirt whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

His face was a mixture of surprise and wariness.
"Colette." He breathed, sitting the pales of water down on the ground.

Colette bit her bottom lip, twisting the straps of the reigns between her hands. She had hope to steal away with the mare before anyone noticed her. She should have known undoubtedly that Gregorie would have somehow sensed she was here as he always does.

He eyed the mare out of its stable and the reigns in her hands. "Need to borrow something?" He asked, with a raised brow.

Colette swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't waste another second while her fathers safety was on the line.

"Yes. It's of tremendous importance that I borrow your mare. It- it's my father. He's sick and hurt and I must go to him immediately." For it was not safe for him to be at the castle the writer had informed.

Gregorie came to stand beside the mare, running a long fingered hand across its backside. Colette could see the wheels turning in his head as he combed the mares blond mane.

Finally he stole a sidelong glance at Colette before twisting his lips in indecision. "Where is your father?"

"I- I don't know. I was told in a letter the way to get there and I- I'm not sure if I have enough time to make it there be- before..." the worse. She could not express how desperate she was to get to her father. "Please, Gregorie." Was all she could say.

Gregorie turned back to combing his fingers through the mares golden mane. "If I let you borrow this mare, what shall I receive in return?"

Colette pursed her lips. "What do you want?"

Gregorie turned fully towards her. She shrank beneath his heady gaze. He was so tall, so alarmingly close to her. He reached to brush her cheek with the back of his hand.

"You stole way in the night before I could return the gesture you so quickly laid upon my cheek."

A blush worked its way up Colette's neck at the memory. A small relief flooded through her though that  the kiss was the only thing on his mind right now and not marriage. She would happily kiss his cheek again to be on her way.

"Yes. I did go quickly. If a kiss is what you desire then I will readily give you another."

Gregorie licked at his bottom lip and a strange tremor snaked its way up Colette's spine. "Shall I?" She said, starting on her toes.

Gregorie shook his head. "A kiss on the cheek is not enough."

"Oh?" Colette's heart skipped a beat.

"In return for borrowing a mare, I must receive a kiss on the... mouth." The last word was barely a whisper.

Colette blinked. She had never kissed anyone before. In fact, Gregorie was the first man she had ever kissed on the cheek other than her father. She knew it was different and yet today she was not afraid to take that step. Not when her fathers life was on the line. How different could it be from placing her lips on his cheek? Was it not the same schematics? Except, his mouth would be the cheek and his breath they might share.

Whatever blush was evident on her neck made its way to her face and she felt suddenly warm.

"Fine." She breathed. "A kiss on the mouth and I will receive the mare."

Gregorie nodded slowly before closing the wisp of the distance between them. He leaned down and cupped her face in his hands before bringing his mouth down against hers. Colette kept her eyes open as she felt his lips press against her own. She was unsure of what to do with her mouth and stood perfectly still beneath him.

Gregorie parted his mouth and she felt the dampness of his breath before his tongue swept across her bottom lip. Colette's eyes widened as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She made a small noise between shock and something... something else that came from deep inside her. An unfamiliar sound that rose out of its own accord.

Gregorie groaned suddenly and slanted his mouth, deepening the kiss. Colette hesitantly touched his tongue with her own and before she could determine what made her do so, Gregorie hooked his free arm around her waist and shuffled them backwards. Her back came hard against the wall of the stable and Gregorie pressed all of himself against her body.

She clutched his arms, feeling trapped and unable to move beneath the sheer weight of him. His mouth claimed her own in frantic movements and Colette felt like her lips might bruise from the aggressiveness.

"Gr- Gregorie," she gasped, finally catching a breathe as he pulled away slightly.

Gregorie stilled. His breathing hard and hitched.  He pressed a gentle kiss against her mouth once more before stepping back, pulling her up from her slow slump she had begun down the wall.

"Here. Let me help you onto the mare." He dragged a wooden stool from beside a mound of hay and placed it at her feet.

Colette could hardly look him in the eyes. She stepped onto the stool and Gregorie grabbed her waist, hoisting her onto the mare. Colette scrambled to throw her leg up and over the wide back before settling into the muscled slope. She fixed her satchel before grabbing the reigns and steering the mare out the stable. She had rode once before, but it had been a couple of years since. Hopefully, the mare was as docile and forthcoming as their donkey.

"Thank you," she mumbled, giving him a half smile. The fevered kiss still fresh on her mouth.

Gregories face was a little flushed, his lips slightly swollen  and Colette knew she looked just the same. He stared at her for a long moment. His hand was at her waist still. A cloud of emotions swirled in his eyes. "Promise you'll come back to me." His words were spoken with gentle measure.

Colette knew in her heart that he wasn't talking about bringing the mare back.