Travis rose to accept Stanford’s hand. “I thank you for your regard, sir. You will not regret your decision. I promise that as my wife, Alicia will receive all the respect she deserves.”
At a gasp from the doorway, Travis swung to face the robed figure standing there.
Garbed only in long, flowing maroon velvet, Alicia still bore herself regally. Only now her face was pale with emotion. “Traitor!” she hissed. Then turning to her father, she spat, “I am not yours to give.”
In a blink of an eye she was gone, but those brief moments had been sufficient to bring months of planning to the brink of disaster. Travis chased after her, crying her name with anguish, but he could hear the bedroom door slam before he made it halfway up the stairs.
Letitia appeared, blocking his path. “I do not know what you have said to upset her, but I beg you wait until the morrow to apologize. She is not in a state to be rational tonight, n’est ce pas?”
Travis would not let Alicia’s stubbornness defeat him. It would have been better had he been given time to win her properly, but if Alicia had not told her father her history, he would not understand the obstacles they faced now.
Travis turned to meet Stanford’s angry gaze. “That wasn’t the best way to tell her.”
By Sunday afternoon Alicia had tired of hiding in her room, but she could not organize any other plan. Travis had blocked her at every turn.
Staring out the window at the muddy remains of last week’s snow, she realized she should have presented herself at church this morning as if nothing had ever happened. If it had just been the stares and whispers of the congregation that she would have to defeat, she could have done it somehow. But she never could have done it and faced Travis at the same time. That was asking more than a saint could manage.
Alicia grimaced as Becky knocked and poked her head around the bedroom door.
“Mr. Travis is downstairs. He brought something for you.” Becky produced a small pot of gardenias. Their aroma filled the room with summer, and the glossy leaves brightened the dreariness of winter outside.
Curtly Alicia pointed to the door. “Take it back. I do not take gifts from traitors.”
Becky stared at her in astonishment. “He ain’t no traitor. He saved your life for you, and he’s plumb worried. You’ve got no call to treat him like that.”
“He nearly cost me my life and more. Let him worry.” Alicia turned to stare out the window again. If she let herself think of Travis as a gentleman whose feelings would be hurt, she would give in to these pleas. She must remember he was no gentleman—and his pocketbook, not his feelings, were involved.
“Mr. Travis didn’t go settin’ that fire,” Becky argued, as if reading Alicia’s mind. “’Tweren’t his fault. He lost everything. You should be commiseratin’ him.”
Dully Alicia spoke to the window. “What were you doing there to know how the fire got started? Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time?”
“You were there. Don’t talk to me about learnin’ lessons,” Becky responded defensively. “I was just keeping Auguste company—in front of a whole room full of people, which is more than you can say!”
When Alicia didn’t respond, Becky turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
Travis accepted Alicia’s message with a grim nod and left the flowers for Becky to dispose of. She would have to come down out of her ivory tower sooner or later.
Returning to the boat that had become his only abode now, Travis discovered Auguste had taken up residence there. The big man gave his employer’s black look a passing glance before settling down against the banquette cushions.
“What are they saying in town?” Travis asked, dropping down on the bed and jerking at his boots.
“Nothin’ much, just speculatin’.” Auguste shrugged. “Dr. Farrar, he tell them it was just one of the bar girls, but not too many as believe him.”
“The other story is just so much better,” Travis reflected bitterly. He had promised to keep Alicia from harm, but he had certainly made a botch of it. Perhaps she was right. Civilized gentlemen wouldn’t have found themselves in this situation. But civilized gentlemen wouldn’t have won Alicia, either. There had to be a way.
Travis flung one boot to the floor and started on the other. “What was Becky doing there last night?”
Auguste shrugged again. “She like to have fun, too.” He grinned in remembrance. “’Bout screeched the house down when I wouldn’t walk through fire for you.”
Travis grunted his appreciation. “Her screams were sufficient.” He stopped in the middle of pulling the last boot off. “Stanford had to leave town on business today. He won’t be back for a week.”
Not quite following this train of thought, Auguste waited.
Travis’s penchant for mischief sparked. They had both spent many a night in jail for giving in to impulse, but that hadn’t stopped them. “Becky’s on our side. Give me that writing desk . . . No, she probably can’t read. You’ll have to carry the message.”
The message he dictated caused Auguste’s eyebrow to lift, but he carried it away with a jaunty swing of his massive shoulders.
Travis wondered if the message or Becky had produced that unusual reaction from the taciturn boatman.
Chapter 22
Unable to sleep, Alicia kicked off the covers, rose from the bed, and donned her dressing robe, enjoying the cold air. Travis had taught her more than she wished to know about her body’s needs and left her restless for more.
She only hoped he suffered as much as she. Taking the bedside chair, Alicia picked up the book she had tried to read earlier. The words blurred and she pressed her eyes shut, leaning her head back. Just that small action reminded her of the way Travis’s lips had burned against her throat, and she flung the book against the far wall.
Why had he asked to marry her? It ruined everything. She had always been told that if men got what they wanted before marriage, they would never make it to the altar. She had been willing to accept that. She only wanted to be rid of the fear so she could live a normal life again. What had made him think she wanted the trap of marriage?
What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she find some nice gentleman like Sam Howard and marry him and live happily ever after like other women did?
If she thought about it rationally, she would realize Travis represented everything she was not and could never be. He had the ferocity to turn on his attackers and tear them apart, the freedom to go where he willed and do what he wanted, while she had not the daring to break out of this shell of civilization that protected her.
Her mind kept returning to the burning look in Travis’s eyes when he looked at her, the hunger in his kiss when he held her. Why couldn’t some other man make her body ache and yearn for something she had yet to discover and may never know now?
The cold air wasn’t enough. Alicia flung open the window, and breathed deeply of the night. Even the weather betrayed her. The night was mild, carrying the first hints of an early spring, and she nearly wept with the frustration.
A sound at her door caused no reason for alarm. Becky came and went as if the room were her own. She waited for the latest impudent excuse as the door swung open.
When it closed again without a word being said, Alicia swung around.
Travis turned the key in the lock, then removed it from the door and deposited it on the top of the high door frame. Only then did he turn to confront her.
He wore a black silk shirt and trousers, incongruously completing the outfit with moccasins and his fringed buckskin coat. A strand of black hair trailed across his high forehead, and he flicked it back in place, not tearing his gaze from Alicia’s tense pose.
“What are you doing here?” Aghast, Alicia stared at him as if he were a ghost conjured by her sinful longings. He could not be here. She had given in to her father’s advice and stayed in his well-guarded house instead of returning to Mrs. Clayton’s, and still Travis walked through it with impunity.
“We have unfinished business, Alicia.” Travis discarded the heavy leather coat, throwing it across the blanket chest. He advanced closer.
Alicia edged around the wall toward the door. “I don’t trust you anymore, Travis. It will have to stay unfinished.”
Travis’s lips curved cynically. “Other women would have cried foul if I had not offered marriage last night. You ever were a backward creature, Blue Eyes.”
He had her backed into a corner now. He moved so swiftly, Alicia stepped backward into the bedroom chair. Her knees bent against the seat as he stopped in front of her.
“Get away from me, Travis,” she hissed, but even as she said it, she knew she did not mean it. The heat of his body matched the fire in her own, and she wanted to grasp his shoulders for the support she needed. She wanted to feel his hard chest pressed against her, know the power of his pounding heart, and feel the bliss of his mouth once again. Instead she sat abruptly.
Placing his hands on both arms of the chair, Travis leaned over her. “Say it with more conviction, Alicia. Scream it out loud. Let’s hear a little emotion from those cold lips of yours.”
“I will scream. Go away before they come and haul you off to hang. You can’t get away with this.”
A grim smile flickered across Travis’s dark face. “Alicia, I have exhausted all my patience. I will have you if I must hang for it, but don’t think anyone will come running tonight.”
Alarm leapt to Alicia’s eyes as he stroked her cheek. “What do you mean? Why won’t anyone come?”
“Your father is out of town. Letitia is staying with a sick friend. And Becky is entertaining those of the servants still in the house with a game of cards in the kitchen. We have tonight, Alicia. Let’s make the best of it.”
She didn’t have time to curse Becky’s treachery. The hard line of Travis’s mouth closed over hers, pressing her backward until he was half on top of her, forcing her to recognize his desires. Futilely Alicia strained to turn away, but the brush of his tongue against her lips released the flood tide of passion she had kept pent up for so long. Her lips parted, and she drowned in the waves of desire his deepening kiss aroused.
Instead of shoving him away, her hands slid along his chest, alternately caressing and beating him helplessly. Ignoring this useless effort, Travis circled her waist with his hands, holding her still while his kiss roamed. Resting his knee against the chair edge, he could plunder at will, and she could do naught but surrender. His mouth burned downward, tracing the line of her throat, drinking of the hollow at the base, journeying deeper to that valley concealed by filmy lace.
Alicia cried out helplessly as Travis lifted her and parted her robe. Her arms slid about his neck, and she arched to meet his ardent kiss, moaning as his mouth found the tender peak of one breast. His tongue swirled over the hardening crest, driving her wild as waves of lust crumbled her defensive barriers.
Travis pushed the robe aside, letting it fall as he gathered her into his arms. He smiled as his gaze traced the silhouette of her nakedness beneath her gown.
“I approve your choice of nightwear, my love. Your taste has improved considerably since last we met like this.”
Alicia blushed as she realized how much the gown revealed, but Travis did not give her time to grow timid. His muscular arms tightened around her as he carried her toward the bed. Lowering her to the mattress, he drew her hem upward. Alicia gasped as his palms slid along her bare legs, and then the gown was yanked over her head.
Travis caught her before she could roll away and burrow into the covers. Sitting on the side of the bed, he held her by the waist while he admired what he’d trapped.
Alicia wanted to give him pleasure. She wanted him to look at her with desire, and her skin burned with the heat of his gaze. She read the hunger in his dark, implacable gaze. Long lashes half hid his eyes from her, but she knew he wanted her.
He was frighteningly male; just the musky smell of him warned her of the dangerous virility harbored behind gentle touches. She knew the power of those muscled arms and wide chest, a strength built by years of fighting a river’s current. She should be terrified, but she was not.
As his hand traveled over her hip, Alicia touched the place where his shirt had not been fastened. She traced a soft curl on his bronzed chest just beneath the V of his collar. Obligingly Travis released her long enough to yank off his shirt, dropping it to join her gown upon the floor.
In the same swift move, he lay down beside her, his hard hip pressing against hers while his hand tangled in the loosened braid of her hair. Through the thin material of his tight trousers, Alicia could feel the swelling line of his masculinity. Travis gave her no time to pull away. His mouth settled over hers, reawakening the hungers he had taught her.
Alicia grasped at the familiarity of these sensations. Her fingers traced his bulging upper arm, and she cried joyously as Travis suckled one breast, then the other. His kisses traveled as swiftly as his hands, drawing her close, demanding response, until her mouth sought his, and her hands clasped his arms, his shoulders, anywhere that she might come closer to him.
Travis slid his hand beneath her hips, pulling her up while his knee pressed between her thighs. Feeling the draft of cool air rush over the fire he had aroused, Alicia buried her face against his shoulder. He stroked her between her legs, while his kisses poured across her hair, her forehead, and her cheeks, until the flame of these multiple fires spread and consumed her.
Alicia trembled, not knowing what to do or how to tell him what she wanted. She kissed his hard shoulder and angular jaw, and tentatively explored the expanse of his chest and back.
Nothing could dissolve the growing ache where Travis held his hand, massaging her into readiness. She rose against his penetrating fingers, and the ache grew more demanding, until she moaned.
Instantly Travis brought his mouth back to hers, pressing deep, invading much as his fingers had done, until his breath filled her.
Alicia fumbled at the front flap of his breeches, and Travis unfastened the cloth and removed the remainder of his clothing. Before Alicia had time to be afraid of his nudity, he gathered her close, fitting himself to her.
She gasped at the heated flesh pressing against hers, but Travis’s kiss drew away the fear. Desire spread like wildfire through her veins. His hands and lips played games along her skin until every inch was sensitive to his touch, rising eagerly for more, seeking satiation for the turbulent currents raging through her.
The loose braid of her hair came undone and spread across her shoulders and down her back. Travis gathered it in thick handfuls as he pressed his kiss along her throat and breast. His mouth closed over the peak, and Alicia arched, crying out as she felt the burning brand of his masculinity press between her thighs at the same time.
“Tell me you want me, Alicia,” Travis muttered. “Tell me now before I burst with the need of you.”
She knew what he wanted. She was terrified of what it meant. But the hunger inside her ached for fulfillment, and the hard masculine body holding her seemed ideal for the purpose. She wanted him. She would be less than honest to say no.
“Travis, please,” she pleaded, burying her fingers in his hair, kneading the rippling muscles of his back, straining to be close to him.
“Tell me, Alicia. I want to hear you say it. Tell me you want me as much as I want you. Tell me you’re mine for the taking.”
His heavy weight pressed her down into the mattress, and his masculinity branded her thighs and rubbed for entrance, but Alicia felt none of the fear or humiliation she had that first time. Travis rose above her in proud nakedness, his bronzed skin gleaming in the lamplight, his shadowed eyes like blazing coals. He admitted his desire freely, leaving her opportunity to do the same. They were equals in this, each needing the other.
“Now, Travis, please. I need you.” Alicia lifted her hands to his chest and wrapped them around his neck as Travis lowered himself over her.
Breathing raggedly, T
ravis slid one hand beneath her, pulling her close as he pressed fervent kisses down her cheek. He drank deeply of her kiss while his knee nudged her thighs to part.
Alicia tensed as his maleness pressed where his fingers had been, but Travis had worked his magic too well. The warmth of his caresses stole over her as he opened her to him.
She was ready when Travis entered her. She gasped as his length filled her, expanding narrow passages until she thought surely she would burst, but she did not, and the sensation of his complete possession made her weep for the joy of it.
Gently Travis began to move, renewing the intensity of her need. Alicia clung to his shoulders, following his lead, surrendering her body to his as Travis drove them higher, to peaks beyond imagination. She had no body beyond his, and it did not surprise her that when the quakes erupted and shook her insides, his did the same, and they moved together.
Chapter 23
At last they lay together, sweat mingling on the sheets. Travis rolled on to his side so as not to harm her, but he did not release her. His hand rode up and down Alicia’s spine, calming the shudders that occasionally shook her.
“Are you regretting it now?” he asked in a rough whisper.
“No, never.” Alicia licked a drop of sweat on his shoulder.
Travis relaxed and pulled the covers up to hold the warmth, using the sheet to dry the moistness between her thighs. Already he felt his need for her grow, but he had promised to protect her.
“Then you will not scold poor Becky for abandoning you to my savage lust?” Travis pressed a kiss to the vulnerable skin beneath her ear, then nibbled at the tempting lobe.
Alicia shivered and cuddled closer. “She’s incorrigible. You should not encourage her. Oh, Travis, what are you doing?” she gasped as he gathered her hair in his hands and tilted her head back to smooth the path of his kisses.
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