by Maya Banks
He pulled away and stood to divest himself of his shirt then he reached down for his pants. India reclined and shimmied her pants off, and he was struck by the notion that it wasn’t terribly romantic to have a woman undress herself.
Soon her limbs were exposed, the curve of her hips and the cradle of curls at the juncture of her legs.
He didn’t think it was possible for him to grow harder than he already was.
India leaned on an elbow and watched as he pulled his pants the remaining way down his legs and kicked them away. Her eyes widened when his manhood sprang free of its encumbrance, and he grinned.
He wanted to please her as much as she pleased him, and judging by the expression on her face, she wasn’t disappointed so far.
He sank to his knees once more and edged closer to her. He reached out a hand, unable to resist touching her. His palm glided over her shoulder, down the line of her waist and then over her hip. Goose pimples erupted under his fingers.
“Come here,” she said huskily, crooking a finger at him.
His groin tightened. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He had never before experienced such a need for a woman. He was afraid to let her touch him, sure that he would find his release the moment she did.
She raised up and placed a hand on his chest, her lips curving in a seductive smile. Firmly, she pushed him down until he relented and let her guide him to the ground.
The blanket bunched under his back, but he didn’t care. He could feel the uneven roughness of the ground, but when she leaned down to kiss him, he forgot everything but her.
She kissed a line around the edge of his jaw until her lips reached his ear. She nipped playfully then sucked the lobe between her teeth.
A hot flush worked its way up his neck, and he closed his eyes, trying valiantly to win the battle for his control.
“Ah damn,” he muttered, as she began to work her way down his neck, sucking, biting, kissing.
She chuckled and the sound sent shockwaves of desire snaking down his spine.
His plan to make love to her had gone right out the window. She was making love to him.
Her tongue swirled over his chest. Around one taut nipple then to the sensitive skin of his abdomen. Oh God, was she going even lower? If she did he would die. If she didn’t he would die.
She paused when her mouth pressed against the skin just below his navel. Her warm breath blew over his groin, and he flinched.
Then in one of the sweetest agonies he had ever experienced, her mouth found his manhood. Her tongue danced delicately around the tip, then her warm mouth closed over the head and began a slow slide to the base.
Oh dear God.
“India, you have to...don’t stop,” he groaned, changing gears in mid sentence.
She raised her head and smiled the smile of an enchantress. Of a woman sure of her power. “Oh I’m just getting started.”
She swung a leg over his hips and raised her pelvis above him. She couldn’t. Was she? He dearly hoped so.
In one smooth motion, she sank down on him, enveloping him, taking him into her body. She sat astride him, her head thrown back, the smooth expanse of her neck shining in the moonlight.
She had never been more beautiful.
She pressed her hands on his chest and began a slow rhythmic motion. And he lost all sense of time and place.
“Ridge.”
His name spilled from her lips. A breathless sound of pleasure. He grasped her hips and joined in her motion. He felt the tightening of his loins. The sudden rush of blood to his penis. He closed his eyes as the pressure built to impossible heights.
She began moving faster above him, her breath coming in short bursts. Her legs squeezed either side of him and her fingers dug painfully into his belly.
“India, my God, India!”
She let out a moan and threw her head back once more. He felt her spasm around him, tightening, then a flood of moisture. He couldn’t hold back another second.
“India, don’t stop,” he gasped.
He bucked his hips upward and clenched his teeth together to keep from shouting as his body found sweet release. Wave upon wave of pleasure rocked him, and she held him tighter.
Finally, she collapsed forward, her damp body pressed to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close as he could.
He kissed her hair and tried to catch his breath. Tucking her head under his chin, he rolled until she was nestled against his side.
“That was the most incredible experience of my life,” he murmured.
She sighed and nestled her head further into his chest.
He smiled and stroked her hair. She was as contented as he.
“We can be so happy, India. Think of all the places you can show me. The new places we can visit together. The nights we can spend under the stars.”
She grew very still against him, and he glanced down. Her eyes were closed, and he smiled again. They could talk tomorrow. Tonight he merely wanted to hold her and revel in the warmth of her touch.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
We can be so happy, India. Think of all the places you can show me. The new places we can visit together. The nights we can spend under the stars.
India wanted to weep.
His words had cut her like a knife.
The pale light of dawn had lightened the eastern sky, yet she hadn’t slept a wink. How did one sleep when their heart ached with such regret? She hurt in her deepest recesses.
They wanted different things. She could not, would not continue a life of adventuring. She had shaken the dust of a dozen countries from her clothes when she had returned to England, and she intended to keep it that way.
She shifted ever so slightly against Ridge, and his arms tightened around her. Her back rested against his chest, and his hand rested possessively on her breast.
She closed her eyes, wanting only to enjoy the moment a bit longer. If only she could wake this way every day. Safe, warm, in Ridge’s arms.
But her fear of the life she left was prevalent. She wanted the safety and security that a permanent home offered. One that she never had to leave again if she so chose.
Warm lips caressed her shoulder then slid up her neck.
“Good morning,” Ridge murmured in her ear.
His voice bathed her body in goose bumps, and her nipples hardened. His teeth found her ear. She shivered as he nipped playfully.
He pulled away with a regretful sigh. “We should rise and dress before Robby and your Spaniard find us.”
She blushed, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. “Hand me my shirt?”
“Only if you kiss me,” he said in a wicked tone.
She laughed and plastered her lips to his. He tugged playfully at her mouth, but the gesture soon turned passionate. He moaned low in his throat, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
How could she feel so right in his arms? How could he be so perfect, and yet be so wrong for her?
He reached behind him, groping for her shirt then produced it with a grin. “I’d much rather you not put it back on, but I also don’t want another man seeing you.”
She rose and quickly dressed, watching as Ridge did the same. He was perfection in its purest form. She didn’t consider herself particularly interested in the male form, but this one...
He wasn’t overly muscled, yet he hadn’t a spare ounce of flesh anywhere. He had broad shoulders, a strong chest, and legs...she didn’t believe for a moment this man had spent his entire life only in the pursuit of scholarly interests. He obviously exercised with some regularity.
He grinned lecherously at her. “Like what you see?”
She flushed again and spun quickly around to find her boots.
He chuckled behind her. Then she felt his arms wrap around her and pulled her back to his chest. “You needn’t be shy with me, India.”
He turned her around to face him. “I don’t think I’ve eve
r quite been this happy.”
He may as well have punched her in the gut.
“Ho, Ridge!” Robby called out.
She and Ridge turned around to see Robby walking up to the campsite, Juan Miguel close behind.
A shadow fell across Ridge, his joviality fading as he watched Robby approach. India looked at him in puzzlement, wondering what would force such a drastic sobering of his mood.
Ridge strode over to meet Robby and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“How are you this morning?” she heard him ask his brother.
Robby offered a crooked grin. “I’ve been better, but I’ve also been worse.” He shrugged. “So it evens out.”
“What’s wrong?” India demanded, stepping forward.
Ridge turned pain-filled eyes on her then glanced back at Robby as if seeking permission.
“She doesn’t know?” Robby asked.
Ridge shook his head. “I hadn’t had a chance to tell her yet.”
Robby swirled his boot in the dirt, staring down at it in discomfort. When he looked back up at her, he had steeled his expression. “I’m dying.”
India’s hand flew to her mouth in horror. Tears flooded her eyes, and she looked beseechingly at Ridge. “I’m so sorry. No wonder you hate me,” she whispered, knowing now that Ridge had even more reason to despise her.
Ridge shoved a hand in his hair. “It’s my fault as well,” he said quietly.
Robby laughed and shook his head. “Has it occurred to either of you that my illness has nothing to do with either of you?”
India closed the distance between her and Robby and placed her hand on his arm. “That isn’t what I meant,” she said quietly. “If I hadn’t...” She nearly choked on the words. “If I hadn’t lied to Ridge. If I had been honest.”
Robby quirked his lip. “Well I won’t argue that you should have been honest with my big brother, but it had no bearing on my illness.”
Ridge wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and massaged gently. “He’s right, India.”
“What should we do?” she asked, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on her. Her own father was at risk, but how could they ignore Ridge’s brother and his plight?
“I know what you’re thinking, India,” Robby spoke up. “Ridge and I have already discussed this. I’m along because this is what I want. I don’t want to go back to England to die in some horrid bed with Mother fussing over me. Besides, I can’t let Ridge have all the fun.”
“But what about your parents?” she asked in horror. How awful for them to lose a son. Never gained the chance to say goodbye.
“It’s kinder this way,” Robby muttered. “They won’t have to watch me die.”
“I would want to be able to say goodbye to my loved one,” she said stubbornly. “I never got to say goodbye to my father.”
“But he isn’t really dead is he?” Robby asked with forced cheerfulness.
“I hope he is not,” she said softly.
“I’m sorry,” he began, but she hushed him.
“It would appear I made many mistakes, Robby. I certainly am not one to be offering you advice. I apologize.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat and looked past Robby to Juan Miguel. “What are the consequences of me not coming alone?”
She waited, her legs trembling, but Juan Miguel merely smiled.
“You misunderstand our motives, Senorita. Just as you misunderstood the guardian sent to protect you in London. We seek not to harm anyone, only to protect the city and its inhabitants. Thus the request for you to come alone.”
She frowned. “It was hardly a request. It was a clear command.”
Juan Miguel shrugged. “We mean you no harm, nor your companions. We only wish the bracelet returned to us. If they must travel with us, then I welcome them on our journey. But we need to be on our way. The forces of evil are strong, and would impede our progress.”
Ridge lifted an eyebrow and stared at the Spaniard for a long moment. “Are you saying there really are people living in the city?”
India whipped her head around. “Isn’t that just what I told you?”
“Yes, but it’s all so unbelievable.” He shook his head as if struggling with the concept.
“And what of this guardian in London?” he demanded, returning his stare to Juan Miguel. “If he meant us no harm why did he break into our homes? Why did he assault India?”
Juan Miguel shook his head. “No senor. We are sworn to protect. We would never harm another. He was sent to ensure Miss Ashton’s safe journey.”
Ridge glanced worriedly at India. “Well, if he didn’t assault you, who did?”
She shrugged, her own mind churning with confusion.
“There are many who would do anything to possess the key,” Juan Miguel said gravely. “It is the only way into the city.”
Her stomach churned uneasily. The last thing they needed was an unknown assailant. She was more relieved than ever that she and Ridge had taken such drastic measures to disguise their voyage to Spain.
“We should go now,” Juan Miguel said. “By the grace of God, we will camp at the doorway tonight.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She glanced at Ridge and saw that he was similarly affected. Her pulse raced. They were so close. Would she see her father tomorrow? She had so many questions.
So many things she wanted to say.
Ridge reached out and took her hand, squeezing it, offering her comfort. She squeezed back, appreciating his unspoken support. She needed his support. Even if she didn’t deserve it. Even if she knew they had no future together.
She grit her teeth together and mentally shook away the heavy sadness that surrounded her heart. If she only had a few days left with Ridge, she wanted to enjoy them to their fullest.
A few minutes later, they set out. Four travelers, each on a different mission. One of hope, one of discovery, one of protection and one of survival.
As they rode farther north, the mountains loomed closer. The gateway to the eternal city.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
By midday the terrain sloped sharply upward, and the horses assumed a slower plodding. Juan Miguel led the way followed closely by the remaining three. India noticed that Ridge watched Robby for most of the journey, concern etched in his features.
She blinked away the sudden sting of tears. How hard it must be for Ridge to lose his only brother. She knew something about loss. She’d lost her mother, thought she lost her father, and she’d learned that there was nothing more solitary than grieving.
She ached to reach out to Ridge, to comfort him in some way, to ease the strain she saw in his face. That she had contributed to his torment was more than she could bear.
And now, after a night of loving, a time when she should be contemplating their future together, she sat on a horse, more miserable than she had ever been in her life. Because she knew a future with Ridge was impossible.
Even if she could somehow get past her fear of resuming the life she had given up, she knew she didn’t want to be a homeless vagabond. She wanted a perfectly boring existence. Safety, love and laughter. All within the confines of a nice boring home.
And it wouldn’t be fair to expect that of Ridge. Not when he had finally shed his inhibitions, finally decided to act on his desires and reach out for his dreams. No, she wouldn’t take that from him. She’d already taken too much.
“We need to stop,” Ridge called out from beside her.
Juan Miguel reined his horse in and turned in his saddle to look at Ridge. “We must press on, Senor, if we are to make the doorway by nightfall.”
“We must rest a moment,” Ridge said firmly, his gaze drifting sideways to his brother.
In a moment of understanding, India realized Ridge had stopped because Robby was in need and would not say so.
“I must confess, if I sit astride this horse one moment longer, I may fall over,” s
he spoke up.
“You two are so transparent,” Robby said with a grumble. He shifted in his saddle and sat up straighter. “I’ll have plenty of time to rest when I die.”
Ridge sucked in his breath at Robby’s dry jest.
Robby raised a brow and quirked his lip. “My saying the obvious won’t change the result, Ridge. The sooner you accept it, the better off you’ll be.”
Ridge shook his head but remained silent.
“Now shall we carry on?” Robby asked, sweeping his hand forward in a grand gesture.
“We really should if we are able,” Juan Miguel said in a low voice.
Ridge nodded and India shrugged her shoulders.
Juan Miguel urged his horse on again, and they began the gradual climb in altitude once more.
By the time evening shadows darkened the terrain, India indeed was growing saddle weary. Still, they continued until the stars twinkled along the skyline and the moon shone high overhead.
Finally, Juan Miguel called a halt, and India slid from her horse. She stood for a moment, leaning against the horse for support until she was sure her legs would support her.
When she walked around the front of her horse, she saw Ridge hovering over Robby. And Robby was not at all happy about it.
“Damn it, Ridge, quit dithering on like Mother. I’m not dead yet and I don’t plan to die for a bit.”
Ridge who had extended a hand to help Robby drew it back and ran it through his hair.
“I’m sorry, Robby. Of course you’re right. I just...well, it’s of no consequence.”
He turned away and his eye caught India. She reached for him mentally, her face twisting with all the sympathy she felt. He walked past her, catching her hand and let it trail over his fingers.
He began collecting sticks and pieces of wood from the ground, piling them in his arms. Soon he had an armful and he returned to where she and the others stood.
“Let me help,” she said, reaching for some of the wood.
“See to Robby,” he said shouldering by her. “Make sure he eats. He’ll take fussing from you better than from me.”
