Mr. H looked up. “Oh, yes. Plato wrote of the creatures living in great herds on these southern plains.”
Alice frowned. “Plato…I thought dinosaurs were gone long before Plato’s time.”
Gustav smiled. “There is some debate whether Plato saw true mammoths or giant elephants on the plains, or perhaps spoke of what he believed once existed based on the bones left behind.” He then motioned to the other men still excavating the beast. ”Allow me to introduce my fellow paleontologists, Sedwick Camp from America, and Arthur Miller from England.”
Sedwick glanced up and nodded, and then returned to his work. The younger man, Arthur Miller, set down his tools and came over. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Collins. I would offer my hand, but they are quite reprehensible just now.”
Alice smiled. “Yes, I am familiar with the effects of digging.”
The young man’s eyebrows rose with interest. “Then you are an amateur paleontologist, as your friends?”
Alice laughed at his misunderstanding. “No. I manage a country estate in Litchfield, England. My experience is with farming.”
His eyes rounded in surprise and then shock. “You’re Elijah Carson’s daughter?”
Alice’s stomach roiled with anger. She gritted her teeth to prevent screaming her response. “No, I’m not.”
“But I understood his daughter managed the Litchfield estate.”
Mrs. Hathoway yelped, and hurried to Alice, gripping her arm. “Alice, you don’t look well. The sun has made you flush, dear. Señor Bienora, will you see Alice to her room?”
Jacko smiled. “It will be my pleasure.”
Wrapping his arm around Alice’s waist, he escorted her to her horse. When he assisted her up, his hand lingered on her leg. “You are flushed. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I just hate it when people call that man my father.”
He stroked her leg, distracting her anger with a surge of desire.
His eyes met hers, and she sensed the same growing hunger in him. He squeezed her leg one last time and stepped back. “Let’s get you home.”
They remained quiet during the ride back. She knew Mrs. Hathoway had hurried them away to prevent Jacko from knowing the truth. But what angered her was that everyone, even young men who should be lost in the past believed the monster was her father.
It doesn’t matter what foolish people think. Her eyes went to her beloved riding next to her. It only mattered what Jacko thought, and thankfully, they held no secrets from one another. She knew the rarity of such honesty and her heart swelled with love for him.
When they entered the barn, Alice waited so he could assist her down.
Jacko chuckled as he squeezed her leg. “Is it broken, then?”
“No, but for some reason it turned to pudding the moment you touched it at the site.”
She swung her leg over and pressed her body to his as he assisted her down. His hardness pressed against her stomach and his eyes flared with desire.
She smiled. “I’m feeling tired. Perhaps you could take me to my room.”
He nodded and lifted her into his arms.
Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed. “I did not mean you had to carry me.”
“But it is my pleasure.”
She laid her head upon his shoulder and blew warm air in his ear as he rushed her inside.
Raul was at the desk when they entered the hacienda. He stood at once. “Is she harmed?”
She buried her mouth to Jacko’s shoulder so the man would not hear her laughter.
“No, she is just tired,” Jacko replied and continued through the room. “That is one drawback to a house with so few walls,” he muttered.
When he arrived at her door, he set her down and opened it.
She realized Raul had followed them. “I really am fine, Raul,” she said, so Jacko would know they had company.
Jacko didn’t seem bothered by the man’s presence. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Yes, you are.”
He stepped back. “Lock the door once inside to ensure you are not disturbed.”
Turning to face Raul, he frowned. “Do you need something?”
After a long pause, Raul replied “No.” Anger flared in his eyes before he returned to the main room.
Alice closed the door and locked it. She did not like the look in Raul’s face. She wished he had not fixated upon her. Nothing good would come of it.
A soft rap on the inner door to the King’s room brought her attention to more important matters. She opened her door and smiled at Jacko standing before her. “Yes?”
His hands caught her waist and tugged her close. “I thought you might wish to experience making love in a king’s bed.”
Her eyes widened. “And will you be my king?”
He shrugged. “If you wish.”
She pushed tight against him. “No, my lord. It is not my wishes that must be attended, but yours.”
Desire flared in his eyes as his hands stroked her hips and buttocks.
She wiggled impatiently against his loins. “I await your command, my king.”
He leaned in to kiss her, but she stubbornly pulled back. He gripped her by her shoulders and turned her toward the bed. “Go there and wait for me while I ready myself.
***
Attending first to their privacy, he closed the doors between their rooms and locked his side. Turning, he discovered Alice kneeling on his bed, with the look of a hungry lioness.
He felt much the same. While courting was certainly more pleasant when the outcome was certain, it only strengthened his desire to drive himself deep within her. His need was greater than his control presently, but fortunately, Alice seemed to be in the same dire situation.
He stood at the side of the bed and motioned her closer. She moved forward, trying hard to hide her smile. Gaining control of her playacting, she managed a plausible representation of a lady in awe.
“I am a novice to the ways of pleasure, my king, but instruct me how to please you and I will obey with vigilance.”
Jacko laughed softly at her words. “In lovemaking, vigilance is not always the desired outcome.”
Her eyes sparkled with humor. “Then with committed adoration.”
Pulling her to him, he kissed her. She opened her mouth to him and their tongues joined in a sensual dance. The need to be inside her overwhelmed him. He groaned and stepped back to allow him time to regain control.
Once settled, he met her hungry eyes. “Unbutton and remove your blouse.”
Licking her lips, she obeyed, slowly unbuttoning the blouse and sensually sliding it off her shoulders. By the time she wore only a thin camisole, blood pounded in his head.
He assisted her off the bed. Unable to resist, he ran his hands across her breasts.
She gasped at his touch and arched her body forward against his palms. God, he loved her honest response to his touch.
His hands swept to her waist and unfastened her riding skirt. When it fell to the floor, he smiled at the half leg pantaloons. His hand moved to the center open seam and slid inside.
Alice gasped and stepped away. “I thought I was to please you,” she said through soft pants of need.
“True, you did ask to learn how to pleasure a man. Very well.” He grabbed a pillow from the bed and tossed it on the floor between them. “Kneel down.”
She did so and looked up at him. “Are you planning to knight me?”
Jacko ran his hand through her light brown hair, dislodging all her pins so her hair tumbled upon her shoulders. Now she truly looked like a hungry lioness. “If you are pleasing enough, I might reward you with the touch of my sword.”
Her eyebrows arched at his promise. “I await your instruction, my lord.”
Jacko hesitated and grew serious. What she was about to learn might be too carnal for a true lady. “If at any time you wish to retreat, I will think no worse of you.”
She flashed him a wicked grin. “I will not fail yo
u, my lord.”
He believed her. She was so unlike any woman he had ever known. “Unbutton my pants, and extract my manhood.”
Jacko breathed in at her slow seductive ‘extraction’. “Now place one hand gently around my balls. Be very careful. They are most tender.” When she had done so, he reached down and tightened her hand just a touch. He reveled in the pure ecstasy that pulsed through his body. “Now massage them ever so gently, while placing your other hand upon my rod.”
As his body shivered with pleasure, he wrapped his hand over hers and taught her how to stroke him. Closing his eyes, he savored the exquisite pleasure sweeping through his body. He had no intention of teaching her more. This was enough to ask of a lady and far more than he ever expected.
His eyes popped opened as he felt her tongue flick across the tip of his manhood.
She looked up at him. “Did you like that?”
When he nodded, she did it again. Grasping her hair, he brought her closer. Without a word on his part, she took him inside her mouth.
He cried out with pleasure. No woman had ever brought him to such heights. But then no woman had ever conquered his heart before.
His hands dug into her soft mane, just as he heard an angry man’s voice cry out. “Unhand her at once!”
Turning, Jacko faced the Hathoways, Raul and the housekeeper inexplicably standing in his room.
Chapter 24
Alice grabbed the cover off the bed and tugged it to her. She had seen Jacko lock the door. How the hell had they gotten in?
“Agnes, take Alice to our room,” Mr. Hathoway ordered and then focused on Jacko.
Jacko secured his trousers and stepped back. “I assure you this is not as it seems.”
Alice wanted to stay with Jacko, but Mrs. Hathoway grabbed up her clothes and pulled her from the room with amazing strength. Tightening the cover around her body, Alice stumbled past the servants. She noticed the key in the housekeeper’s hand. Damn the woman! That was the last straw. If it was the last thing she did, she’d convince Jacko to fire the wretch.
Mrs. Hathoway hurried her to their room and slammed the door behind them.
“Dear Lord, whatever possessed you? I warned you about being too forward. Now, he will refuse to marry you. Men never marry women who go down on their knees. Never! Dear God, you would have been wiser to lay with him than that! Then Mr. H would have greater leverage in demanding a marriage.”
Alice could not believe her sin was she had done too little.
Once inside the Hathoway’s room, Alice finally got a word in. “He will marry me.”
Mrs. H. turned and stared at her as if she were a simpleton. “Has he promised to marry you?”
Alice didn’t see any reason she couldn’t answer that. “Of course, he has. And I accepted. We are to go home in two days, so we can marry at Litchfield.”
The woman’s expression went from disbelief to joy to horror in mere seconds. “No! You cannot take him to England. He will hear about your father.”
“Stepfather, and I have already told him about the man.”
Mrs. H breathed in. “And is that when he asked you to…I cannot bear to even say it.”
Alice sighed. “I asked him to teach me how to give him pleasure, not the other way around.”
Mrs. Hathoway set down and covered her face. “Your mother is never going to forgive me. I promised her I would bring you home married.”
“I appreciate that, but I wish to be married at Litchfield with my mother in attendance. Surely, you can understand?”
Mrs. Hathoway looked at her. “I understand all too well. I just wish I had known how little you comprehended the ways of the world.” She leaned back and pressed her chest. “A catch like Mr. Bienora will not want a wife who behaves so wantonly, especially not with a father accused of murder. He will not marry you, Alice. His manager has assured us of that. Evidently, he has done this before.”
“According to whom? Raul? You cannot take his word on the matter.”
Mrs. Hathoway glared at her in exasperation. “The man must surely know his own master!” She grimaced in pain and shook her head. “But I comprehend your shock and inability to see the truth. Unfortunately, we thought him sincere, as well. We would have never accepted his invitation and allowed him time alone with you otherwise.”
Alice went to her and knelt by her chair. “He will marry me.” She touched Mrs. Hathoway’s forehead. “You are making yourself ill over nothing. Jacko will not abandon me. We love each other.”
Mrs. Hathoway pulled Alice into a hug. “I know you love him. I saw it from the very first. I so wanted you to be happy.”
Alice wished Mrs. Hathoway would believe her. “I am happy. Will you not believe me over this silly manager?”
Just then Mr. Hathoway entered and closed the door behind him. His somber and worried expression didn’t give Alice much hope of cheering Mrs. H.
They both looked at him as he sighed heavily and sat in the chair opposite them. “Señor Bienora insists his intentions are honorable and he wishes to marry Alice.”
Alice smiled and stroked Mrs. Hathoway’s cheek. “You see!”
The woman grabbed Alice’s hand and held it tight as she focused on her husband. “What is wrong?”
Mr. H frowned. ”He has business in London and wishes Alice to return with him so he can ask Mrs. Carson—”
“Mrs. Collins,” Alice corrected.
Mr. H’s frown deepened. “—For permission to marry. I fear, however, this is only a ploy to separate Alice from us so he can continue his plan of debauchery.”
Alice gasped. “Sir, that is most unfair! Jacko has been nothing but kind to us from the moment we’ve met. How can you even suggest such a thing?”
“I suggest it based on the facts before me and on his past behaviors.”
“You know nothing of his past!” Alice stood up so she could expend her outrage in pacing. “Raul is manipulating you with lies.”
“The farm manager would not lie about such matters. What has he to gain from doing so?”
Alice sighed. “Me! He believes I will marry him if he can steal me from Jacko.”
Mrs. Hathoway looked up in shock. “Why would he think he could marry a lady?”
“Because he doesn’t believe I am a lady. I know too much about farming.”
“And other things,” Mr. Hathoway muttered.
Alice glared at him. “I was learning to please my husband. I see nothing wrong with that.”
Mr. H pinched the bridge of his nose. “But he is not your husband. Nor, is he ever likely to be.”
Alice threw up her hands. “Believe what you wish. But I know the truth.” She stormed from the room and ran down the hall towards Jacko’s room.
As she turned the corner, her stomach roiled in fear, much like when she was a girl, hiding from Mr. Carson. She slowed to a cautious walk as she continued down the hall.
The sense of danger increased, but she could see no threat. She stopped as a horrible thought came to mind. What if something had happened to Jacko? What if Raul had taken this opportunity to kill him?
She rushed to Jacko’s room. The door was locked and despite her calls, he didn’t answer.
Perhaps she could get through from her door. Entering her room, she ran to the joining door. She opened her side, but growled in frustration when she discovered Jacko’s side locked. Pounding on the door, she yelled. “Jacko, open this door at…”
A blow on the back of her head ended her demands and her world went black.
Chapter 25
It took Jacko almost two hours to locate his farm manager. Finally, by threatening one of the stable boys with dismissal, the young man suggested Raul might be found in the graveyard.
Jacko’s mount was missing, so he asked for Alice’s. The boy ignored his request and brought him another fine stallion. Pushing the boy aside, he saddled the horse and took off after Raul.
This time his manager had gone too far. Jacko didn’t care
if the man treated the property as his own. He didn’t mind that Raul wished to protect Alice if he turned out to be a cad, but he drew the line when the man purposely led the Hathoways to his door in hopes of sabotaging his marriage.
When he reached the town cemetery, he spotted Raul kneeling at a gravesite as if in prayer. He left his horse at the gate and entered the cemetery on foot.
His anger lessened when he sensed true grief from the man. The gravestone held the words ‘Beloved wife, Alice Gomez.’ The date of death was four years ago.
With no sign of fear, Raul stood and faced him. “My wife. She died in childbirth.”
Jacko frowned. “Her name was Alice?”
His manager nodded. “She was an English maid, very young, but a good wife, so determined to please me.” His face filled with pain. “I should not have married her so soon. I should have waited. Only she would have left with her employers at the end of the month.” He shook his head. “She was so ready to experience love.” A heavy sigh escaped him. “Much like Maria and Miss Collins.”
Meeting Jacko’s gaze, he stood firm. “I suppose you are here to fire me for my intervention.” His chest jutted out. “Do what you will, but I cannot regret protecting Alice. I could not allow you to ruin another innocent girl and then toss her aside. Not when she bore my wife’s name.”
Jacko blinked several times at his words. Ruin another? “What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t ruined anyone.”
Raul’s eyes narrowed. “Anyone who matters, you mean? That is how you justify your actions? And when you found out Miss Collins was not a lady, then tossing her aside would be no problem either.”
Jacko felt his temper rise. He had always assumed people thought the worse of him because he was a gypsy, but Raul believed him to be of the highest tier of Spaniards.
He took in a deep breath. “First of all, I was not setting aside women of any birth, when I declared myself innocent of your accusations, and secondly I will never set aside Alice for any reason. I love her with all my heart, and I will marry her no matter how much you wish to intervene in the matter.”
Raul glared at him. “You have proven yourself a liar in your first claim, and thus how can I believe your second one?”
A Right to Love: Romantic Spinoff From The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 2.5 Page 23
