by Sky Robinson
From the smell coming out of the kitchen, it might be worth it to stay just for Opal’s meal.
Emma set down the book. She couldn’t focus on it anyway. Instead she wandered into the kitchen to find Opal stirring something over the stove.
“Do you need any help?” Emma offered.
“Just keep your hands out of my pots,” Opal threatened with a smile.
“I already tried to get my hands on some of that delicious-smelling goodness,” Kate said as she sat at the table watching Opal cook. “She’s very protective.”
When Emma first walked in, Kate looked as if she was lost in her own little world and hadn’t said more than an empty “hello” all afternoon, but now she smiled up at Emma, completely hiding whatever it was that had been on her mind.
“Why don’t you pour yourselves a drink.” Opal motioned to a dark-green glass bottle on the counter. “I bought wine to celebrate our first month together, and to celebrate the success of my business.” Opal lifted her glass and took a sip. “It’s imported from Europe, one of my boat captain customers found it for me, and it’s quite delicious.”
Emma grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and set them on the counter, and then Kate grabbed the bottle and filled the glasses with the dark-red liquid.
Opal raised her half-empty glass to Kate and Emma and said, “Here’s to success, however you define it.”
Success could definitely be defined in myriad ways.
Kate, Opal and Emma clanked their glasses together and each woman took a sip. It was fruity, and bittersweet and not nearly as bad as the whiskey that most men had as their alcoholic beverage of choice. Emma could definitely get through a glass of this.
Opal dished out the food and set it on the table. It was beef and potatoes and carrots in a delicious-smelling brown gravy. Emma scooped a huge spoonful into her mouth, and it tasted as amazing as it smelled. The girl could cook.
“So what’s this business idea you have for me?” Emma wanted to hear it before the wine and a full belly affected her judgment. Not that she thought Opal would try to take advantage of her, but Emma had to always be on guard, had to protect herself. There was no one else to do it. Even when Ben was alive, she did more of the looking after than the other way around.
“I want to propose selling whiskey to the men who come to visit me. The women up the street are doing it and bringing in a lot of money. They charge fifty cents a drink and I think we could get double that. We can split the profits fifty-fifty. I just thought since you’re rarely here, you might not mind making a little extra money this way. And when you’re home, we could close down the saloon…so to speak.” Opal looked Emma in the eye, unflinching, as she waited for an answer.
“You want to turn my kitchen into a saloon?” The proposition was sound, at least on the money end, but what about the logistics of having a house full of drunken, randy men?
“I’ll be sure not to let anyone drink too much. You know how I despise drunk men anyway. It’s just a chance to do a little entertaining and make some extra money for both of us. It’ll probably be good to have a little saved up for the winter. Kate will be gone, but you could easily replace her rent with this money and you wouldn’t need to find another renter.”
Opal was one hell of a saleswoman, but Emma didn’t expect anything less. She had a great point. Emma didn’t want to have to find another renter, especially over the winter. And she still hadn’t found gold.
It would make things easier if she had the extra cash.
Emma blew out a long breath. “We can try it, as long as it’s okay with Kate. It will be louder in the house, and you can set limits to the hour of night you would like everyone out.” Emma looked at Kate as she waited for her response. It was doubtful that Kate would say anything against it even if it bothered her. Emma needed to make sure she had a say.
“It’s fine with me. I’ll just stick some cotton in my ears. I do every night anyway,” Kate said with a chuckle.
It probably wouldn’t be a problem, Opal liked to shut down shop pretty early in the evening. Emma hadn’t known that the reason was because Opal despised drunken men, but it made a lot of sense as to why she stopped her services so early.
“We’ll give it a two-week trial period. That’s when I’ll be back next.” She didn’t know what she was worried about. Opal was responsible and polite, and could afford to replace anything that got broken, not that Emma owned anything of value anyway.
“Fantastic. You won’t regret this,” Opal said. “Now drink up, ladies. It’s time for a celebration.”
The women ate the fabulous food and drank Opal’s wine, and two hours later they were all a little giddy. And then Emma and Kate turned in for the night and Opal went to work.
Emma lay alone in her bed while the sounds of Opal and some man thrusting into her came drifting down through the floor. She put a pillow over her head, but it didn’t stop the moans of pleasure from disturbing her peace, and images of James naked in the cave kept invading her mind. Damn the man anyway.
Her body burned with pent-up need as she lay tossing and turning, hoping for sleep and not coming even close. Emma could have had him doing the same thing to her if she hadn’t been so sensible, so stubborn. It was only human, a natural part of being a woman, to want a man’s cock between her legs.
But Emma didn’t have to take a man home with her to feel pleasure. She moved her hands down to the burning need between her legs. She knew what she liked, knew how she needed to be touched. Why couldn’t she take care of her own needs? It was what an independent woman needed to do, and she was damn sure staying independent.
Emma entered a finger into her wetness. It wasn’t James’ cock, but it would have to do. No emotional drama could be caused by her finger, unlike James. He would always bring trouble. Lots of it.
Emma moved her other hand to her breast and squeezed the nipple between her fingers just as James had. Her core started to hum.
She moved one finger in and out of the wetness and heat and then added another. Opal’s moans filled the air along with the slapping of some random man’s thighs against hers.
Maybe Opal had it all figured out. She had complete independence, plus her body was being satisfied all the time. The woman made a ton of money pleasing men. It wasn’t a bad lifestyle. Not nearly as bad as Emma had thought before she met Opal. Some of the girls had it a lot rougher though.
No, Emma could never be a prostitute. Not unless things were so dire and it was the only way. She wouldn’t choose it. There were other ways to keep her body satisfied and keep her independence.
Emma relaxed her head deep into the pillow and moved the hand on her breast to the front of her quim, while she continued moving the other in and out of her wetness, searching for release.
Solo satisfaction was going to have to be her solution. She couldn’t risk getting her heart involved with a man like James, and didn’t want live the rest of her life without release.
Emma circled her nub and her breath became a pant. She was close to finding the pleasure she needed. A man wasn’t necessary, but James’ cocky smile still popped into her head. Even alone in her house he tormented her.
Her fingers worked faster, circling and stroking and plunging, bringing herself higher and higher until the surging release came on strong and fast. Her body jolted in pleasure, hips arched upward, head pressing hard against her pillow, and finally her torment was over. Emma found the relaxation she was searching for.
To hell with James and the trouble he caused her body. She could deal with it herself very effectively.
But she couldn’t hide the need to be held in two strong arms afterward, to fall asleep next to the warmth of a man. Her woman parts might be taken care of, but there would always be that little nagging in her heart that wanted more, that wanted a man.
Chapter Seven
Emma walked silently through the forest with only the slight cracking of branches to signal her movement down the path toward James’ cam
p. The sneakiness of her movement was mostly to give herself the opportunity to turn back without him knowing she came his way. She had to give herself a chance to do the smart thing and stay away from the man.
The sun dipped low, painting the sky in bright oranges and pinks, and the air was cooling off quickly. A view too beautiful not to share with another human being, at least that was what she told herself the entire walk over.
Emma had been at her claim for only one day since her last trip back to town, but was already looking for a little company. She didn’t need James’ company. She didn’t need anyone, but what would it hurt to take James up on his offer of friendship? It could get awfully lonely out here.
He was making a fire when she walked up. His big, burly body bent over the pile of stacked wood, grabbing a log and tossing it onto the fire.
“Hello.” She didn’t know exactly what to say, or even where to begin when it came to James. Hello was the only safe bet.
He wasn’t startled by her appearance in his camp, at least he didn’t act startled. He probably heard her coming.
He finished tossing the wood onto the fire, but didn’t face her, didn’t say anything for a minute. It made Emma wonder if coming over here had been a good idea. They had a lot of history and not much of it was good. He had offered to be her friend, but it could have been him being polite. It wasn’t likely though. James wasn’t the type to say things just to be polite.
“Have you eaten? I could make you something,” he offered, sounding just as uncomfortable as she felt.
“I already ate. Stopped working early today.” Emma stopped out of frustration at not finding any gold. She considered once again that this whole gold rush might be all a big lie. If she hadn’t seen the pictures of the buckets full of gold that the owners of this land found here, she might have left a while ago. They were finding gold all over Alaska, it had to be here too. Facing the fact it might be a scam, that there was nothing in this area, had so many other complications for her. And in a way, she could be considered a part of that scam.
“But thanks for the offer,” Emma said, and he smiled at her.
Maybe he was really going to take this friend thing seriously. He hadn’t said anything offensive in the first few minutes, which was out of the ordinary considering their past.
He walked around to the side of the fire closer to Emma and sat down on a log. His eyes focused on the dancing flames and hid any emotion.
“Any luck today?” Emma stood uncomfortably as she asked the question, already knowing the probable answer. She didn’t know why she even asked it.
“Nothing. If I don’t find anything by the end of this summer, I’m going to quit. Go back to logging or something.” He shook his head, frustration obvious, and Emma wondered if he blamed her for his predicament. She wasn’t the one to write the article, but she had been married to the guy who did. She wouldn’t blame James if he held it against her.
“Yeah. This is probably going to be my last summer as well. I feel as if I need to keep Ben’s dream alive, but I don’t need to kill myself working and get nothing in return.”
It was a tough reality to have to face. What if there wasn’t any gold here? What would she do next? She hated to think about going back to a city somewhere and getting a job after this, but it might be what would have to happen. Ketchikan didn’t have many opportunities for an unmarried woman.
“Let’s talk about something else,” she suggested and sat down on the dirt a few feet away from James.
It was too depressing to think about having to leave. She didn’t have many marketable skills and she had no interest in finding a man to support her.
“Okay. What do you suggest?” he asked.
“Let’s talk about us.” She hadn’t planned on being so forward, or even bringing up the subject, but it was something she wanted to discuss.
Emma sat safely on the dirt, away from James, but when he got up to toss another log into the flames he moved to sit beside her on the ground. His thigh pressed against hers, and her body warmed from the inside. She still wanted him, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. But that fact wasn’t going to do either of them any good.
“Us?” He raised his eyebrows and stared at her with a serious expression. “Okay, how do you see this friendship going?” He stretched his legs out toward the fire and leaned back on both arms, looking relaxed…and very attractive.
“I don’t know.” Emma let out a frustrated breath. She hadn’t planned on talking about this, didn’t really know what to say. “We could be polite to one another, have friendly conversation.”
It sounded very unconvincing, especially when her body was screaming out for so much more from this man. She could shake the feelings into almost non-existence when she was away from him, but as soon as she was anywhere near James’ body the urges to be touched by him came back in full force.
“That sounds okay.” His eyes sparked with challenge. “What would you think about us having a friendship with certain…benefits?”
“Benefits?” Her eyes darted to the fire, away from his knowing grin. Was James really proposing what she thought?
“Yes, benefits.” He slid closer, thigh pressing fully against hers. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist and the simple touch sent heat to her core. “They would be benefits I’m pretty sure you’re interested in.” His words were growled, and a shiver of wanting shot through her.
James turned to face her and leaned closer. He was near enough that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek, but she couldn’t look at him. Didn’t dare let him see just how much she did want him, wanted the exact benefits he was offering.
James brushed Emma’s cheek with his thumb and grasped her face in his strong hand, turning it so she couldn’t help but look at him. She didn’t resist. Maybe she should have, but his commanding touch made her want to do anything he suggested.
James moved his lips closer and then pressed them gently to hers, feeling so familiar but wrong at the same time. Emma’s mouth parted before her brain had the chance to stop it from happening. Her body wanted more, but she couldn’t be more than friends, she wasn’t even sure she could be friends with James.
“Don’t try to hide from me again. You want me just as much as I want you.” James growled the words and pulled her tighter against him. His warmth infiltrated her space in a delicious way.
Emma didn’t respond, not with words anyway. She couldn’t stop the feelings that she should be denying him, denying herself. They felt too good to even consider stopping.
James kissed her again, this time hard, full of passion, his tongue exploring every inch of her mouth. Emma’s body hummed. She did want this, but it wasn’t right. She couldn’t commit to being in a relationship with James.
She pulled away from him, hating every second of it, but she couldn’t lead James on. “I don’t want anything more than friendship. I don’t want to get married, or do your laundry or sewing.” Her words were breathy, her body so damn affected by him already.
“Marriage or laundry or sewing is not what I’m asking from you. I want your body. Plain and simple.” His words were a growl that sent a shiver of lust straight to her core, made Emma forget any of the other protests she had created in her mind. Left her breathless, speechless.
James moved his hand to her inner thigh and rubbed up it, stopping just before touching her center. She hated that he stopped. Emma burned so damn hot for him, needed him to touch the depths of her, to put out the flames.
“Don’t tell me you don’t want the same. It’s just you and me out here. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody.” He stared at her, his dark eyes reading her every thought. “Who do you think you’re going to fool? We both know it’s what you want. Why can’t you admit it?”
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He was right. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted a man. He was offering her just what she needed, sex without commitment. How could Emma say no?
James
kissed her again, demanding. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting, teasing, possessing her.
She couldn’t say no, didn’t want to.
“Yes.” Emma said the word simply, letting go of all the resistance.
Having James was what she really wanted, what she needed right now.
He tugged on her shirt, pulling it up and over her head, and her fingers worked to unfasten his pants.
James left hot kisses on Emma’s neck, down her shoulder and then on her breasts. A jolt of pleasure shot through her. She did need his cock to quench the fire that burned between her legs, the fire that had been burning since the first time he had touched her. She hadn’t planned any of this, but he was definitely what she needed.
Emma stripped out of the rest of her clothes and James quickly did the same. In a matter of minutes, they were both naked together again. But this time it was going to end with very different results than the last time they were naked together. She wouldn’t say no, wouldn’t let her sensibilities override her needs this time.
James took Emma’s hand and led her toward a blanket. It was the same blanket they’d lay on when she saved him from the creek.
“I’ve wanted you for so long.” James’ words were hot against her earlobe, his cock was hard against her belly.
“Mmmhmm,” was the only thing Emma could come up with to express the way she was feeling. There were no words, no real way to explain how James’ touch made her feel.
James pulled Emma down onto the blanket and then straddled her. His body covered her with warmth and strength. Her heart pounded and wetness surged to her opening.
