"Yeah," she said, moving to the door to call for her daughter. "Li-sa! Lisa, come in! Supper's waitin'!" She turned back in and started setting plates and cutlery, an odd unmatched collection, on the table. "That girl's off galavantin' agin. Looks like she took yer, er, ‘guide’ with her. Prob'ly showin' him the new foal. He's a fine one, he is."
"He is?" Quickly, Glee stood, panic sending her toward the door. Becka hadn't seen Alex at the wagon. Where could he be?
"Where ya goin'?"
Glee paused with her hand on the door handle. Alex was still shackled, she knew. What could he do? She forced herself to calm down. "I, uh." She turned toward Amina, who was seated on the floor next to the big bedstead, holding Hakki's hand as he dozed. It didn't seem right to disturb that peaceful scene. "I'll just go and get a few extra place settings from our wagon, Missus Totley, and our bedding as well." She hesitated. "Are you certain you don't mind our staying overnight?"
"Don't mind at all. But I don't need more plates. Got enough here. Want some more coffee?"
Glee took the hint and sat down again, though she was nervous and kept glancing toward the door. "How far are we from Salt Lake, Missus Totley?"
"'Bout a day, dependin' on the weather. Ya got business there?"
"No, my guide does."
Becka nodded and sliced some bread. "Can't quite get over how much he looks like them ‘Wanted' posters for that outlaw Garcia. Nasty one, that man. Glad they caught him. Scared me plumb silly with my Johnny being too sick ta do much, and us bein' all alone out here. Afraid he'd murder us all in our sleep."
Glee had to force her voice to calm, her heart to slow to a normal beat. "So Garcia was caught?"
"Yep. 'Bout two weeks ago, and just a few miles from here. Stupid fella. Hangin' around so close to Salt Lake. Hung him only last week."
"Oh my God," Glee breathed.
Becka turned sharp eyes on her guest. "Ya feelin' all right, Miss Montrose? Ya look mighty pale."
Alex wasn't Esteban Garcia. He was Alex. Alex Pacheco. Not an outlaw, just a man. Glee had to repeat her silent litany to herself several times as the truth sunk in. She had to tell him, to beg him to forgive her for suspecting him.
Glee stood and went to the door. She smiled so brightly that Becka's eyes widened and then narrowed. "I'm going to go wash before supper, and I have a few things to discuss with my guide. I hope you'll excuse me for a few minutes, Missus Totley."
"Sure. Take yer rifle, Miss Montrose. There's been wolves after the chickens lately. And if ya see my girl, send her in, will ya? Don't like her out after dark."
Glee nodded and practically ran out the door.
Chapter 23
A lex heard rather than saw Glee come to the back of the wagon.
"Alex?" she called.
He answered and heard her come around to the side where they were shielded from view of the house.
Her smile was brilliant, picking up the silver-white moonlight and intensifying it. "Would you unhitch the horses, please? We're going to spend the night here. Oh, God, Alex wait until I tell you what I found out!"
He shook his head, pleased at his success with such a simple plan. "It must wait, querida. First, I must apologize."
A tiny frown crossed her brow. "You must apologize? Whatever for? Anyway, my news is so much more important. You see-"
His fingers over her lips quieted her. "I'm not apologizing for something I've done, little tiger, but for something I must do." Again she frowned, but she didn't fight him. He traced the contours of her lips with a thumb and still she didn't resist. Though he wondered what had gotten into her, Alex was not going to overlook this opportunity. He bent his head and kissed her, first with whisper-soft teasing, but soon after, more urgently as he felt her eager response. Por Dios, she was making this difficult. But oh so pleasant. He lost himself as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tightly against her, rubbing her hard-tipped breasts against his chest in blatant invitation. He cupped her bottom and pulled her hips up toward his, knowing that she'd discover how much he wanted her and delighted when she ground her belly against him.
They were both breathless when he broke the kiss, but Alex nibbled her earlobe just before he whispered, "Forgive me, niña."
She pulled away, looking at him with obvious confusion, the moon blue-mirrored in her eyes. "What -“
He stuffed the clean bandana into her open mouth and then secured it with a second bandana behind her head. The look of utter surprise that crossed her face might have made him laugh if the situation hadn't been so critical. She struggled fiercely as Alex held arms to her sides, shooting daggers at him with her sparking eyes, but he was able to subdue her fairly easily and put her into the bed of the wagon.
Once she was secured with ropes, he took a little sack from the wagon and stealthily left it on the cabin doorstep. Then he wrapped himself in a leather coat, grabbed the rifle Glee had dropped when he’d kissed her and climbed up on the wagon bench. The horses leapt forward as Alex hurried them away. When he sighted the main trail he nearly whooped with joy. Freedom! Finally, he was free to go home!
"California," he said to no one in particular. "I'm on my way!"
Somewhere toward the middle of the night, when the moon was fully overhead and stars dotted the clear black sky, Alex reined the horses into a clearing and unhitched the team for the night. He was exhausted, though it had been a very satisfying day. A few hours of sleep and they'd start moving north, skirting Salt Lake and then due west to California. Alex had never crossed the territory this way, but he had a good enough grasp of geography to figure out how to get home. If snow didn't obliterate the trail totally, he'd even manage to stay on that, too, which was bound to be easier than trying to forge a new path westward.
Glee was sleeping soundly, bundled in several blankets. In the glow of the moonlight through the open canvas front, she was ethereally pale, her lips deeply gray, her eyelashes dark-brown crescents on her cheeks. It was foolish to take her with him. Alex had never done anything quite so loco before, but he couldn't seem to help himself. She fascinated him with her orneriness mixed dizzily with sensual loveliness. And, it wasn't as if he was going to prevent her from getting where she wanted to go. Monterey wasn't far from Asuymas y San Felipe. They'd make a brief stop at his home, then he'd take her to her destination, or she could take the stage from nearby Pleasant Valley. By that time, he was sure to have tired of her. If not, then he'd consider keeping her as his mistress. Monterey was not so far that it would be an inconvenience. She was more interested in pursuing her own goals anyway. Such an arrangement would suit them both.
Glee would be furious when she awoke, he knew, but he could accept that. He'd seen that fury before and withstood its onslaught. Once her fury died down, she could be coaxed back into his arms. He felt her desire for him like a tangible thing, and some instinct told him that she was as compelled to be near him as he was to be near her.
He knelt beside her and stripped off his shirt. Then he looked at her white scarf.
"Never again," he muttered as he gently removed it and the accompanying pins from her hair. "Muy linda," he whispered. His fingers caressed the long, silky locks, spreading them out over the rolled pillow. Ever-so-gently, he untied the bandana and removed the gag from her mouth. She sighed softly and licked her lips, still deeply asleep. Carefully, he lifted the blankets and lay down next to her, rubbing his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.
Exhaustion finally overtook him and he slept.
* * * *
The wagon creaked and Glee awoke. Slowly, memory came back. "Alex!" she shouted, trying to sit up and pulling up short. Her arms were stretched over her head and secured to the wagon with rope, her legs were similarly tied.
Alex's head and chest appeared at her feet. Early sunlight lit him from behind and his face was in shadow. She couldn't see his expression, but she heard the smugness in his voice. "You called, little one?"
"You bet I called, you dirty, rotte
n, stinking, deli adam! How dare you abduct me like this? Ahmak! Batârd!"
"If you'd stop swearing for a moment, I might be able to respond," he said dryly.
"Untie me at once! At once, do you hear?"
He shook his head. "No. We're still too close to Salt Lake. A few days further and I'll give you some slack, if you behave in the meantime."
"Oh!" she raged. "I could just kill you, you rutting animal!
To her utter frustration, he just turned and walked away, leaving her to fume and fight by herself. She struggled for a time, muttering the most vulgar curses she knew in several languages. Finally, realizing how futile her efforts were, she lay back and pondered this new dilemma.
So, Alex had somehow freed himself. Then, he'd done the obvious thing, the thing she'd have done in his place: escaped. But why, why, why had he taken her with him? Were they alone? Was he so angry that he meant to hurt her? Fear caused her empty stomach to lurch. Oh, Lord, didn't he realize that she had simply been acting out of a rational, logical need for safety when she'd kept him secured?
She felt the first prickles of tears behind her eyelids and fought them back. No! She wouldn't succumb to foolish, emotional tantrums. She'd deal with this in the same way she'd always handled problems—coolly, logically, methodically.
"Alex?" she called, pleased that her tone was so even.
Again he appeared, this time toting a pot and a washrag. He climbed into the wagon, gingerly trying to avoid tipping the contents of the tin vessel.
"I'm pleased to find you've calmed down, querida. Are you hungry?"
"No, not right now. Alex, where are Amina and Hakki?"
He set the pot on a crate and knelt next to her, and she noticed how clean he was, even the whiskers had been removed from his face, all but his long sideburns. His tawny gaze rested on her face.
"I left them with the Totleys," he answered.
"You what?" she exclaimed, panic surging through her. She couldn't be alone with him, she just couldn't. He was too dangerous! Even though she now knew he wasn't an outlaw, she was still afraid of what he might do. What she might do.
He shook his head and bent over her, beginning to unfasten the buttons of her dress at the collar. "They'll be fine there. Hakki will have a chance to recover from his wounds, and then he and Amina can help the widow and her daughter get through the winter. I took the liberty of leaving some money for their upkeep. Hope you don't mind. If you like, I'll pay you back when we get home."
"Money? My money?" She lifted her head to watch his fingers move down the row of tiny buttons with practiced ease. "What are you doing?"
"It's just a hundred dollars, Glee. I know you've got ten times that amount stashed in that little trunk."
The buttons were undone to her waist. "Stop it! What are you doing?"
He opened the front of her dress and then untied the four tiny yellow ribbons of her chemisette. "I'm giving you a sponge bath. Sorry I can't provide a decent tub and bubbles, but this will just have to do, sweetheart."
Cool air swept over her breasts as he opened the chemisette and Glee felt her nipples harden. "I don't want a bloody bath, you zampara—lecher!"
He chuckled and shook his dark head. "You truly amaze me. Never at a loss for words are you?"
The washrag was dipped into the water and Alex proceeded to slowly sponge her throat.
Glee let loose with a string of vulgarities again, then groaned as the rag wandered further down her chest and warmed her pointed nipples. She closed her eyes as Alex's golden gaze caressed her, warm like the rag. This was not happening, she told herself. She was not feeling that hot, dizzy sensation in the pit of her belly.
Relentlessly, the rag dipped down the sides of her ribs, over her sleek armpits, and back up to her throat. Gently, it swept over her face, feather-soft against her cheeks, before it retreated.
Glee took a deep breath, a cleansing breath, and opened her eyes. Alex was turned away, ringing out the rag only to drop it into the water again.
Their eyes locked when he turned back toward her. "I like this," he said, trailing a finger over her armpit. "Smooth. Wax you said?"
She flushed and forced herself not to squirm at the tickling. "Stop it, Alex," she said through her teeth. Glee turned her face away from his amusement, and cursed herself silently for being a coward.
Alex moved to remove her shoes, then slipped his hands under her skirt to pull off her stockings. His fingers were hot as they retreated, lingering on her skin.
"Don't do that!"
He laughed. "Don't you wash your legs when you bathe every day?"
"Yes, but you don't have to. I don't want you to." She shook her knees as she felt him raising her skirts. "Just leave me alone! Damn you!"
She felt the top tie of her pantalets loosened, then the second, the third, and finally the fourth ribbon which lay among the red curls on her mons. Frantic, she squirmed to keep him from drawing that feeble covering away, but Alex was merciless and soon she was bare from the waist. Her face flamed as he appraised her slowly, the full daylight leaving nothing to his imagination.
"Muy linda, querida. Mis aguas de la boca. You are very beautiful, Glee. My mouth waters, I want you so much."
A jolt of pure, hot sensation rippled through her core. "Don't, Alex," she pleaded. "Please, let me go." Glee licked suddenly dry lips. "Take me to Salt Lake. I- I'll find another way to get to California."
"Salt Lake?" he asked, plucking the rag from the warm water and smoothing it up her leg with torturous slowness. "You must think I am very stupid, Glee."
"No! No, you see, I found out last night that Esteban Garcia was captured weeks ago. He's dead now. You've nothing to fear anymore!" The cloth rose steadily over her thigh, and that churning itch began again in her belly. She gritted her teeth when the warmth receded only to start again at the ankle of her other leg. Alex didn't seem to be listening to her, and soon, she knew, she'd run out of strength to fight him, to fight herself. He was too potent an adversary. "Please, Alex! Oh, God, you've got to listen to me!"
His gaze remained on her legs, but his voice changed, grew more steely and hard. "Why should I listen to your lies? You cannot fool me into that simplistic trap, Glee." He laughed, but it was humorless, harsh. The rag rose to the red curls and now he paused, finally turning his gaze to her.
The sparkling fire in his golden eyes spoke volumes on his fury. "Open your legs, bella. Let me see what you think I should die to preserve for your new lovers!" he spat, finally showing his temper with more than the blaze in his eyes.
Glee's pride made her defy him, and she cursed him with the foulest French epithet she knew.
Immediately, he threw the rag away and his hands moved to the buttons of his pants. "Now?" he asked.
She gasped and her mouth made a little “o” of surprise. "No! No, I didn't mean it!" Three buttons were loosened before she began to sob. "Oh, please, Alex, don't do this! I forgot that you understood French." Her eyes overflowed with tears. "Oh, God, I don't want it to be like this."
He leaned over her, his hands on either side of her shoulders, his face so close to hers that a lock of his long black hair brushed her forehead. "What do you want, Glee?" he asked harshly. "I never know from one minute to the next. First you're leading me to the gallows then you're throwing yourself into my arms. You say you're using me to get information for your father's book, but your body is seeking much, much more than information. What's it going to be? Do you hate me so much that you enjoy torturing me, is that it?"
"No," she cried. "I don't hate you at all. I- I don't know what to feel. I've never wanted a man before, never knew I could feel this way."
He thumbed a track of tears off her face, and his lips rose in a grim semblance of a smile. "Women are not the same, eh?"
Misunderstanding the implication of his question, Glee shook her head. "No, we're very different."
"Do I frighten you, querida?" he asked, his voice softening to a husky, sensual pitch.
She smiled through her tears. "I've never been afraid of anyone in my life." He crooked an eyebrow at her. "Except you," she finished on a whisper.
Glee closed her eyes and waited, breathless, for his kiss as his face came closer to hers. But he chuckled and kissed her forehead before he sat up and pushed his hair out of his face. "Mi pequeña tigresa." He reached for the pot and found the rag. "We need to get started. It's still a long way to California I think."
"Aren't you going to untie me?"
"No."
Her face heated. "Alex! You can't just leave me like this, with my clothing all undone!"
"I'm still mad at you for making up such a silly story about Esteban Garcia and then expecting me to fall for it. Don't be so quick to underestimate me again, Glee."
Under Wraps Page 23
