The more forbidden, the sweeter the touch. She tried to push him off her but was thwarted—he lay on her hair, trapping her to his side. Not that she minded terribly... But she did!
His thumb tweaked her nipple. Hot sparks shot from her breast to the very core of her womanhood. She felt dampness between her legs and she pressed them tightly together to stifle the confusing feeling, both wondrous and frightening.
She had only a slim chance to acquire a college professorship as it was, and allowing a thoroughbred gambler to compromise her certainly wouldn’t up the odds. Ah, but he made her feel so good, so right.
Burke gathered her to his chest. His hardness pressed against her thigh and she yearned to touch his flesh, to feel what a woman should feel. But no, only a wanton woman would consider letting a man of his profession take such liberties. She had to admit, she did consider.
He nuzzled her neck. “Lexie-girl, let me love you.”
Her breath caught as she briefly considered letting him have his way with her, but then she came to her senses. “I hardly equate taking unwanted liberties with love,” she said aloud. Her outward righteous indignation didn’t match her inner yearning. In fact, nothing she’d ever felt could match her desire for Burke’s closeness. She wanted more. Much, much more.
“Just a kiss, Lexie-girl.” His husky voice sent a thrill through her. Her! Alexandra Campbell, the pathetic girl who had kept track of her classmates by assigning them numbers since she could never remember their names. And they all made fun of her brains, when they weren’t ignoring her. Who could forget the disastrous date with number fifty-seven?
That was all right, though. She’d spent considerable energy making herself invisible since fading into the woodwork took far less effort than socializing with the rude creatures. Secretly, she had longed for male attention but never had the sort of feminine wiles that her younger sister was born with.
Burke nipped at her ear, bringing her into the present. Her throat tightened and she felt warm all over.
“Look at me, Lexie.”
Under no circumstances could she let him know how pleased she was that a man who could lie with nearly any woman he wanted would pick her. “I can’t, you lummox. You’re lying on my hair.” She sniffed most righteously, hoping her desire for him didn’t show. “Kindly let me rise, good sir.”
He sat up and groaned, whether from a hangover or his injuries, she couldn’t speculate. Nor did she have a chance to inquire, for in the next moment his body covered her and he touched her lips with his.
“Maybe you should find out just how good I really am.” His voice rumbled low and sensuous.
Oh, and how she wanted to! Burke O’Shaughnessy, gambler or not, was undoubtedly the handsomest man in Colorado, and he wanted her, probably the plainest spinster in Colorado. She had to admit, he did turn her head. And a whole lot more of her than her head wanted to be close to him.
He brushed his hand along her sides and under her breasts. She gasped and arched into him without thinking, and all notion of why she shouldn’t let him kiss her evaporated. He kissed her full on the lips, his tongue tasting her mouth as she opened for him. Her body yearned for him, the heat between her legs demanded attention. She wasn’t quite sure what, but she wanted Burke to do something.
The train whistle blew and jerked Lexie back to some semblance of what good sense she had remaining. “Get off me,” she ordered weakly. “I have to buy our tickets to Cuchara. We’re going from there to Manitou Springs.”
Burke wiped his face with both hands. “Why? What did you hear?” He sat up and ran his finger-combed his hair. “A man told me that Patrick is headed for Denver. There’s a big game and all the best and richest will be there. Manitou Springs is a stub off the main line—no action there at all.”
“I know, but I received a message yesterday before you got here. I told you that already.”
“I don’t remember. Sorry.” He raised an eyebrow. “Who from?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t signed. The hotel maid brought it last evening.”
“And you believe it?” He frowned, then winced from moving his facial muscles. “Show me.”
“It’s more than what you’ve learned.” Lexie got out of bed and fetched the message from her ledger book. “I don’t know what you think you’ll get from it. I told you what it said.”
With one glance, he handed it back to her. “Charity’s handwriting, and she wouldn’t steer me wrong. Let’s go to Manitou Springs. The water there has healing properties, and I could use a little of that about now.”
“You could use a whole lot of it. I’ll sponge off your cuts so you can get dressed, then you need to make yourself scarce while I dress.”
“Sounds good, but there’s one problem with that plan.”
“What’s that?”
“I can’t move.”
She stepped closer to the bed so she could grab him and haul his lazy carcass out, but instead he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him.
“A kiss would make me feel so much better.”
Drat the man! She pushed herself away. “If you’re frisky enough to want a kiss, then you feel plenty well enough to get dressed.”
“You drive a hard deal.”
“I’m holding all the aces.” Maybe if she used his jargon, he’d be more cooperative. “Now get up.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorta up already.”
She bashed him with a pillow. Burke yelped but she felt no remorse. “How much money do you have?”
“How would I know that? I was drunk. Too drunk.”
“Where is it?”
“Want to count it so you can write it down in your little ledger book?”
“Of course. Plus, we need to buy breakfast and tickets.”
“I might wander down to the barbershop.” He groaned when he got out of bed. Lexie hadn’t noticed any broken bones but he was in obvious pain as he flexed his arms, his legs, and did a couple of side-bends. “Good thing I heal fast.”
It’d be better if he stopped getting beat up, but she didn’t think it was the time to point that out.
“Funds?” she asked. “How much?”
“In my vest pocket, if there’s any money at all.”
“There better be.” She checked and found sixty-seven dollars. “We’re fine for now. I’ll take forty.”
“Why?”
“You can’t be trusted.”
“But you’ll write the figure on my side of the ledger page?”
“Of course. With a note explaining the transfer.”
He seemed satisfied and she looked away as he dressed himself.
“I’ll be back in an hour after I get a shave and buy the tickets. Be ready—you’ll probably have to buy breakfast.” Then he touched his forefinger to his brow. “Aren’t we missing a girl? Abbie?”
Lexie hated to tell him that she’d lost the girl, but Abbie was still missing, so she had to confess. “She gave me the slip when we deboarded. I didn’t want to tell you because I thought I could find her.”
“Don’t worry about it. Either she takes advantage of the paid education or she doesn’t. That’s not for me or you to decide. My responsibility ends with presenting the opportunity. The rest is up to her.” He opened the door. “Be ready in an hour.”
He left, then opened the door and poked his head in the room. “What are the odds of us getting together for a little fun?
“One in 1,397,685,022.”
“Eh?”
“That’s the population of the Earth. Now go.”
* * *
Alexandra Campbell was the most exasperating woman Burke had ever met—high and mighty with a tongue as sharp as a stiletto one minute, but she’d also tended his hurts with care. And oh, how that woman could kiss! Then turn into an iceberg.
A shave and a haircut didn’t put him in a better mood. He bought the tickets with the precious twenty-some dollars and had a few dollars left. Normally, he’d have stopped in a few gaming rooms and
saloons to see if there was any action, but since he was in hot water with her already, he didn’t. It was a shame to pass by all those potential earnings, but he wanted to get on her good side somehow or another.
She didn’t trust him with money. He wondered how she thought he’d managed to get along his whole life without that damned ledger book.
Life was simple—if you need money, you get it; if you have money, you spend it. If a beautiful lady strikes your fancy, you make love to her.
Lexie had to do everything the hard way. He’d bet his lucky hundred-dollar bill that she’d felt just as passionate when they woke as he did. She spent half her waking hours worrying about money.
An hour later, he escorted her to the train. They boarded, and he immediately steered her toward the smoking car.
“Shouldn’t we stow our bags first?” she asked.
“I’ll have the porter take care of them.”
Burke seated Lexie a couple of tables away from where he set up his game. She glowered at him, and he couldn’t be entirely sure what he’d done this time, but it couldn’t have been too dire because she stayed.
He knew she wasn’t ready to see him in action yet, but he didn’t want her sitting alone in the passenger car. Not only would it be inappropriate, and she’d be the first to point that out, but he feared for her safety. Dayton Wardell and who knew how many other hooligans were after Patrick, and they might think she had an inside track.
But, money’s money, and he didn’t have enough. He’d be double-damned if he’d dip into Lexie’s forty dollars—the rest of the expenses would be coming from his ledger column. Once they got to Manitou Springs, he wanted to put Lexie up in style. He’d have time to show her how to have a good time before he took Patrick back to St. Louis to claim their inheritance.
“Three-card monte’s the game.” Burke threw the three bent cards on the table. “You have one chance to win to my two.”
Several gentlemen, some of whom looked to be prime for the picking, had gathered around but none had yet to place a bet. What he needed was a good capper. He hadn’t trained Lexie yet, and besides, she still had qualms about taking money from people who wanted to give it away.
“I’ll pick a card.” A familiar voice—Charity! He was sure glad to see her and that innocent look of hers. The gents appreciated her curves and low-cut gown.
“Place your bet. We’ll start low—how about twenty?”
“Hmm, I don’t know... that’s a lot of money.”
“Remember, you have one chance to win and I two.” He flicked the three cards around, then turned them over. “Two black kings and a red queen. Pick the lady you’ve won yourself some money.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” She turned to leave.
“How about a practice round, no money?”
Charity shrugged and moved back to the table, while Burke threw out the three cards, face down, happy to see his audience grow. “Why not.” She pointed to the middle card. “It’s that one.”
When he turned over the red queen, the gents grinned and nodded. “That was easy enough, and you’d have a fat bill in your pocket right now if you’d played for money. So why don’t you try it—your chance to my two.”
She placed twenty on the table. “Just this once.”
And of course she won. Burke paid, then suggested they play another round, which Charity agreed to. This time she purposefully picked the wrong card, working the gents up into a frenzy.
Burke asked one especially lucrative-looking fish to pick the correct card, which he did.
Charity ran her hand down his arm. “My, you have a sharp eye.”
The gent was duly hooked, greed in his eye, certain to win. But it was not to be, for the throw of the cards didn’t favor him, to the tune of several hundred dollars. Others were eager to win as well, and Burke took all the money they forked over. And then he bought them all drinks and cigars.
Before the hour was over, he had a fat wad of bills, which he’d split with Charity once they made it to another car.
“I’m surprised you threw so well with those skinned knuckles,” she said as the two of them headed to Lexie’s table.
“Skin cream from an old Indian lady. Thanks for helping out—we made quite a haul.” He pulled out a chair opposite Lexie and seated Charity, then he sat beside Lexie, who didn’t look at all excited that they’d won big.
Instead, she glared at Charity. “Yes, Mr. O’Shaughnessy is ever so grateful.”
There was that blasted “mister” malarkey again. By now, their kisses ought to entitle him to be called by his first name. He was sure she was as fired up as he’d been.
Charity’s gaze flicked from Lexie to him, and back to Lexie. She grinned, just like when they were kids and she used to foul the marks on his cards. “I can’t stay—have a fish on the hook so just slip me my share and I’ll see you later.”
He’d done it many times before. Charity placed her handbag under the table and while Burke took a sip of coffee, he secreted the money up his sleeve, and when he leaned back, dropped it into the bag. She left without a word, but he knew she’d catch up with him once she’d taken care of her own business.
He put his arm around Lexie and whispered, “Best we get out of here before those gents decide they didn’t want to give us all that money after all.”
Lexie glared at him, as icy as the day they’d met, but didn’t say a word. She rose and followed him to the dining car, which they had to pass through to get to the passenger cars. Their seats were two cars up. Behind the smoking car were private Pullmans.
“Would you like to stop and get a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“I should think you’d rather enjoy your coffee with Miss Templeton.”
Why she said that, he had no idea, but one advantage of a train was that with the narrow aisles, it was easy to herd people where you wanted them to go, which is precisely what he did. He blocked the aisle so she couldn’t pass and hailed the waiter, who showed them to a table.
Burke waved off the menus. “Just coffee, please.” When the waiter left, he asked Lexie, “What’s with the sour look?”
“You practically stole those men’s money.”
“My money. They gave it to me, remember? And don’t forget to write it down in your ledger book.”
She took the ledger out of her reticule, then dug to find a pencil. “How much?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Hundred, I presume.” Her carefully drawn numbers were a work of art.
“And a thousand of that went to Charity. I owe her two hundred.”
“You didn’t pay all she was owed?”
“The circumstances weren’t exactly the best for divvying up cash.”
“True. When you swindle money from people, they’re not going to be happy about it.”
“Lexie-girl, they thought they were taking my money. You can’t take money from anyone who doesn’t want yours worse than you want theirs. You can be sure that they’d not have any qualms counting my money. It’s all a game—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
“But you never lose.”
“Not at three-card monte.”
The waiter brought their coffee. Lexie studied the cup, and took a sip. He wondered what she was thinking, but even more, he wondered why he wanted her to approve of his profession and admire his skill. He knew few could match him at prestidigitation and he hadn’t felt the need to impress anyone with his abilities since he was green behind the ears.
“I hope we find Patrick soon. All this travel is wearing, and I’d love to relax in my own home.”
He needed to find his brother, too, but he didn’t know any way to live but on the road—or river, or rail. “I’ve never lived in a house.”
Lexie straightened and gazed at him wide-eyed. “You’ve never had a home?”
“I didn’t say that, just haven’t ever lived in a house. My parents worked the riverboats, so there was no need for a permanent place, and once I
set out on my own, there still wasn’t a need.”
“So you didn’t go to school?”
“Not in a schoolhouse, but Ma taught us ciphering. Pa taught us how to read people and calculate odds. Among other things.” When she gasped, he sent her his most charming grin. “My guess is we had more schooling than most boys.”
“My niece or nephew will have a home and go to school, just like most other children.”
She could’ve gone all day without mentioning her sister’s pregnancy. “I’m sure my brother will do whatever it takes to make his child happy.”
“Then you’ll convince him to marry my sister.”
“I didn’t say that. Patrick knows what’s best in his situation.”
“A situation to you and your brother—a disaster for my sister and me.” She put her ledger book back in her handbag. “If all goes well, by next week you’ll be my brother-in-law, the mine will be sold, and we’ll be on our way back to Washington DC. I’ll send a letter when the baby is born.”
With a woman like that on his tail, his brother might be harder to find than he thought. “Patrick would appreciate that. I’ll give you our mother’s address in St. Louis. She’d like a birth announcement, also. Might even send you a little money so you can make a column for the kid in your ledger book.”
“I’ll also send an announcement to your wife.”
He choked on his coffee.
She handed him a napkin. “Or do the two of you merely dabble in marital activities?”
When he could breathe, he said, “If you’re talking about Charity, she’s practically my sister. We grew up together. We’ve never...” Lawsy, he couldn’t even say it. He’d had a lot of women—never Charity, never had even thought about her that way—but he’d only thought about the domestic side of things with one. And that woman was sitting at the table doing her best to exasperate him.
Ah, but he could win this game. His plan for Manitou Springs, the Saratoga of the West, had just changed. If it was good enough to lure US presidents, maybe Lexie would let her guard down. He’d never been to Manitou Springs, but he’d heard a lot about it. Fat fish, elegant facilities, and romantic trysting conditions.
9 Ways to Fall in Love Page 172
