The Inventors Wife Page 5

  She nodded a greeting. As his gaze raked her from top to bottom, she recalled her relative state of undress. She bit her lower lip. The material was suitably opaque, but why did she feel so naked all of a sudden?

  She flashed a friendly smile. “Good evening.”

  The inventor placed down his tools, removed his spectacles and wiped his hands on a rag. He stood and then gestured to a sideboard covered with three silver pitchers, tea cups, glasses and a platter of fruit. “May I offer you something to drink or eat?”

  Elena glanced at the contents, though in truth, they held little appeal at the moment. She’d come for his company and devices, not food. But her throat felt parched from her recent expedition. “Water would be lovely, thank you.”

  Daniel poured her a glass and extended it to her. Her gaze lingered on his large hands with their chipped nails and stained fingertips. The dirt excited rather than repelled her, for these were the hands of an artisan.

  Somehow, again, he avoided making physical contact. She understood why he was being careful—Lawrence Harrington made a formidable foe when angered—but Daniel’s approach bordered on extreme. Who would ever discover if his work-roughened fingers had brushed against hers in this moment? She certainly had no plans to tell a single soul. She craved the contact. She wanted to know what his skin felt like. And other parts. Did his hair feel as sensuous as it looked? What did his mouth taste like?

  A vision of Mr. Washburn’s leering face sprang up in her mind. No doubt others would question the path her thoughts were taking. She resisted the urge to sigh. Was it truly so scandalous to want the touch of a man on her own terms?

  She sipped some water. The cool liquid soothed her scratchy throat. “Is your new device ready?”

  The inventor nodded. “Miss Harrington—”

  “Yes?”

  His expression turned solemn. “On my honor, I will not harm you with any of my devices.”

  She smiled reassuringly. “I know.”

  She had no solid reason to believe him given how very few words they’d exchanged, but she would certainly provide him with an opportunity to earn her trust. Many, in fact.

  “Well then, if you’ll follow me?”

  She set down her glass on the sideboard and motioned for him to lead the way.

  Daniel led her to an enclosed workroom. It was spacious, but lacked windows. The room contained cabinets, neatly labeled storage bins and a long table topped by a leather-covered pallet. In each corner, clusters of glass tubes glowed, lending the area an otherworldly cast.

  The sight simultaneously shocked and intrigued her. “What are those?”

  “Electric lamps.” He pointed to the globe’s center. “The tube is evacuated by pumps—that means there’s no air inside—and the carbon filament glows as the electric current passes through it.” He pointed to a bulky machine with exposed coils and other parts. “These batteries provide the power.”

  “How fascinating!”

  He frowned. “You don’t have to be polite.”

  “I mean it, truly. I have a very unfashionable interest in all things mechanical.” Had she revealed too much? She eyed him warily. “Does that bother you?”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. He extended both arms, gesturing to the machines and parts all around them. “You’re asking me?”

  It had been a silly question. This gentleman had made a career out of tinkering. She burst into giggles at the same time the inventor chuckled. His lips spread into a charming smile.

  She adored the way he looked when at ease. Careful of betraying too much interest too soon, she turned away and studied the lamps. She wanted to touch one, but Daniel hadn’t indicated she could do so. Plus, the device emitted significant heat. They might provide lovely comfort during the winter, but no doubt they’d be harmful to bare skin. “Does my father know about these kinds of lamps?”

  He nodded. “We have discussed converting the mansion to electric light. But there are many logistics to work out, not the least of which is a longer lasting filament that doesn’t generate quite so much heat.” He cleared his throat. “Do you mind if we avoid talking about your father right now?”

  “Oh, yes, of course.” She glanced around the room. “Where is the device you were going to show me?”

  He moved past her to the worktable. “If you will allow me a moment, I’ll set it up.”

  She watched as the inventor maneuvered a large, spindly apparatus into place over the table. He attached the twin bases to both sides of the table using clamps. It looked like a bridge straddling a river.

  The clockwork engine at the top was capped by a crown of gears, large and small. An L-shaped crank extended from its side. A cluster of multi-jointed iron rods hung from the top. Each was tipped by a small, shiny brass ball. Elena could see her face reflected in their smooth surfaces. Daniel flicked one of them. It spun wildly in place.

  “Does it have a name?” she asked.

  He shot her a quizzical look. “No. Should it?”

  “I suppose it doesn’t matter. What does it do?”

  “Why don’t you discover that for yourself?” He gestured to the pallet. “Lie down on your stomach.”

  She sucked in a breath and clutched at her shawl. He was inviting her to lie down in a vulnerable position. Her bottom would be inappropriately presented to him. Massaging her head was one thing, but this took the encounter to a new frontier. “I…I am not sure….”

  “It won’t hurt. In fact, I daresay you will find it quite relaxing.”

  After a brief hesitation, she draped her shawl on a nearby stool. Her nightdress had five rows of ruffles at the top, but her nipples were jutting out so far, she worried the material wasn’t concealing enough.

  At least she’d be on her stomach for the procedure. Keenly aware of Daniel’s gaze on her, she crawled onto the pallet. It provided a comfortable amount of padding. She rested her head on her crossed forearms.

  “Ready?”

  “I…I believe so.”

  “I’m turning it on now.”

  She heard a clink, a clank, and then the whir of machinery as Daniel set the device in motion. Moments later, one of the brass knobs pressed against the middle of her back. It rolled along for a few inches and then lifted away.

  Then a second one made contact, and a third. The knobs began rolling up and down her back in orchestrated moves. Each sphere rubbed gently against her back. With each turn, they became increasingly warm. As a result, she experienced a delightful massage.

  “How does it feel?”

  She smiled against her arm. “Very good! How long can you maintain it?”

  “As long as you like,” came his husky reply.

  She sighed in appreciation as the knobs gently rubbed her. Mechanical parts had always appealed to her, but she hadn’t guessed they could be designed for such soothing pleasures. She shifted a little, arching her back, her hips pressing against the pallet. The inventor’s pallet. She glanced at him. He was studying the machine, a look of satisfaction on his face.

  She wondered if he slept on this very pallet. Had he created this device just for her, or had he been using it to unwind after a long day of toiling in his workshop? If he did use the machine, did he do so while naked? She forced the forbidden image away even as her pulse raced at the thought of lying on a pallet that had been in contact with his body.

  “I’m going to try something different now.”

  By the sound of things, Daniel was making an adjustment to the device. She quickly experienced the result as the dancing, rotating knobs shifted downward. At least five of them kneaded her buttocks. She froze as her breath seemed to exit her body all at once.

  Apart from a few childhood spankings, no one—and certainly not any kind of object—had ever touched her there. Especially not in such a hedonistic manner. Elena closed her eyes as her body grew heavy with relaxation. She could barely trust how good the mechanical contact felt. But she certainly intended to enjoy it. After all, who was p
resent to stop her?

  The knobs continued their journey. They massaged her legs all the way down to the bottom of her calves. Slowly, they worked their way back up along the length of her body. Once in a while, a knob would push its way between her thighs. One even rolled into the shallow cleft of her buttocks.

  Her muscles grew increasingly loose. Tension soon had nowhere to hide. Each pass of the knobs lovingly caressed her body, eventually reducing it to a puddle of warm molasses.

  Pressing her hips down as the spinning balls caressed her caused a heated, pleasurable throbbing, so she kept doing it. Moisture gathered between her thighs. Was it perspiration, or something else?

  Daniel shifted beside her. She opened her eyes, only to discover his pelvis area level with her face as he cranked the device anew. He stood by the pallet as before, silent and watchful. But this time, something was different—a large bulge in the front of his trousers. It strained against the material and extended eight or nine inches down his thigh.

  Her face warmed at the revelation of what the material concealed. She’d seen paintings with nude men, but had never seen a cock quite so large. What did it look like beneath his clothes? If she were to press against it, what would it feel like?

  Abruptly, the machine wound down. Eventually, the knobs stopped moving.

  She leaned on her forearms and twisted around to watch as Daniel detached the knob massager and stored it away. “That was a fascinating invention. What else do you have?”

  He shut the cabinet and paused. After a moment, he turned to face her, a quizzical expression on his face. “Shouldn’t you be returning to the house?”

  She glanced at a nearby timepiece. Nearly two-o’clock. Despite the late hour, she was wide awake. “Not unless you want me to leave.”

  He inhaled slowly, his gaze holding hers for a long, intense moment. Elena raised a brow.

  He exhaled quickly. “Wait here.”

  He disappeared into another room. Her lips curled into a smile as she shivered with anticipation. What kind of marvelous device would the inventor show her next?

  Chapter Five

  While Daniel rummaged about in the other room, Elena sat up. Glancing down, she remembered her shoes were still on. Ugh, how constraining they felt. She promptly removed them. There, much better. She wriggled her toes, relishing the freedom. In fact, she’d never felt more free than in Daniel’s workshop. He seemed unconcerned about her relative state of undress. Even more importantly, he did not find her interest in his inventions odd or unseemly.

  She couldn’t imagine having a lively conversation about scientific devices with Washburn or frankly any other man she’d met through her father’s business ventures. As far as men like them were concerned, women were meant to be seen, not heard. She wholly disagreed with such illogical attitudes. But she doubted her father would ever approve a relationship with someone like Daniel. Was she destined for a lonely, unsatisfying life because of her uncommon views?

  No! She refused to settle or compromise her needs. Unfortunately, determination wouldn’t take her very far. With her mother gone and no female relatives nearby, she lacked key resources. How she would overcome the obstacle of a lifeless marriage to a hideous man like Washburn remained to be seen.

  Her dreary prospects couldn’t prevent her from speculating, however. What would life with Daniel be like? She expected he spent most of his time inventing. The man probably didn’t even want a house when he could reside in his workshop. Daniel’s legacy lay in the wondrous devices he would create for the world. She longed to be a part of that life.

  But Lawrence Harrington made for a formidable foe. If she couldn’t become the inventor’s wife, she wanted to visit him every day. Explore his inventions. Be his assistant. Of course, the chances of her father granting her even that small concession were slim to none. She sighed. More like none. Given the potentially short-lived nature of her association with Daniel, she might as well milk it for everything it was worth.

  She looked up with glee as Daniel returned. He arrived bearing another mysterious device. What could it be? The back of her neck tingled.

  She watched as he placed it on the pallet beside her. At first, it appeared to be little more than a jumble of random parts, some wood, some metal. But as he unfolded the device, its shape began to emerge.

  Two rigid cones, each about the size of a large teacup, comprised the main part of the device. Bundled copper wires snaked from the cone tips to a small wooden box. A brass knob protruded from one side of it. Four leather straps had been soldered to the cones’ edges.

  Elena ran a finger along the surface of a cone. It was covered by supple leather. “What does it do?”

  Daniel dragged an armchair forward. “I’ll show you. Please sit.”

  She reclined on the chair. The plush, velvety material cushioned her body quite nicely. Daniel held up the cones. Then he leaned forward and extended the wide ends toward her breasts.

  She threw an arm across her chest and stared up at him in shock. “My apologies. I did not quite expect…this.”

  He pulled back. “It is all right. You are not under any obligation whatsoever.”

  His expression struck her as guarded. Was he disappointed?

  “No!” She tugged on one of the cones. “You misunderstand. Your action simply caught me by surprise.” She grinned. “I very much desire to learn its purpose.”

  One corner of his mouth quirked upwards. “As you wish.”

  She relaxed in the chair, and kept still lest he run off like a jackrabbit.

  Daniel fitted the cones to her chest. Her small, plump breasts filled them to the brim. He secured the straps around her torso to keep the device firmly in place. The sensation was similar to being in a corset, but far more comfortable. She looked at the contraption with amusement. Given its fantastical nature, she could have been the subject of an advanced medical procedure. Or a circus performer.

  He picked up the attached box, his thumb poised over the knob. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  The cones began vibrating. A smaller device inside the cone spun gently around, further stimulating her nipples. They became taut within seconds.

  The deliciously forbidden sensation sent shivers down her spine, the steady, relentless vibration nothing compared to the few times she’d experimented with rubbing her breasts beneath darkened bed covers. The proper name for this experience was “sheer heaven.”

  Feeling sinfully stimulated, she tilted her head back. As her breasts grew warmer, she gripped the arms of the chair. If the procedure felt this good with her nightdress on, what would it be like if she were nude?

  Elena stared up at Daniel with half-lidded eyes. “This is delightful.”

  He stepped closer, and his earthy scent surrounded her. “I’m glad you think so.”

  She pushed her chest forward, craving to feel her breasts against every last inch of this mechanical wonder.

  He abruptly turned his head. “Terribly sorry. I should not be staring.”

  “It is quite all right.” She licked her lips. “You’re clearly supervising the apparatus to ensure it works properly.”

  When he next met her gaze, sparks lit his eyes. “Yes. Yes, indeed.”

  After that, his keen-eyed gaze stayed fixed on her upper body. The cones hummed quietly as they vibrated. She realized the device attached to her chest was an extension of Daniel. He had created it. She pictured his large, calloused hands fondling her breasts. Unexpectedly, an ache bloomed in her vagina. She writhed against the back of the chair and pressed her thighs together, desperate for release, but instead of subsiding, the ache grew ever stronger.

  Daniel flicked off the power.

  She whimpered in protest. “Why did you stop?”

  “We should let it cool down for a while.” He undid the straps and removed the cones.

  She gasped as her sensitized breasts shifted against the thin material of her nightdress. They’d reached a swollen, achy state in such a s
hort time. The tips were hard as diamonds.

  “Are you well?”

  “Never better.” In fact, the experience had left her wanting more. Much more.

  At the inventor’s sharp intake of breath, she looked at him. He seemed…concerned? How sweet of him.

  “Your cone invention is lovely, thank you.” Only then did she notice how much she was perspiring. Wetness had made her nightdress damp in several places. “May I please have a drink?”

  “Of course.” Daniel exited the room. He returned bearing a glass of water and a plate of grapes.

  Elena set the plate down on her lap. She drank a few sips of water and then slid a grape between her lips. The sweet-tart explosion in her mouth proved the perfect antidote to the humid summer night. As she chewed, juice escaped her mouth and ran down her chin. She swiped it with a finger and then licked her digit clean. Daniel was watching her mouth intently. Why did he seem so fascinated by her coarse manners?

  “It’s awfully warm in here.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  She offered him the grapes. He took a handful and popped a few into his mouth.

  She watched, intrigued, as his strong jaw masticated the fruit. “I’m deeply curious right now, Mr. Miller.”

  “About what?”

  “About what other inventions you can show me.”

  His jaw slowed as he contemplated her statement. “Are you always this bold, Miss Harrington?”

  She smiled demurely. “Only around fascinating inventors.”

  He glanced down at the floor and rubbed the back of his head. Then he held up a finger. “One moment.”

  Once again, he slipped away to the bowels of his workshop. The minutes ticked by. Elena snuggled into the chair and sipped water while she waited. Daniel’s domain was a perfect fit for her. The grease and gears soothed and comforted her more than any of the luxury items in her father’s fancy home.