by Becky Lower
“All right then,” Elise speared James with her gaze as he tore into the rabbit meat, slurping the juice from his fingers. “Let’s talk. Tell me about your lady, Madeline. No, wait, I’ll tell you what she looks and acts like, and you tell me if I’m far off the mark.”
James had that smug look on his face again. He thought her line of questioning funny, did he? She wished to show him how predictable he was. Her fingers itched to smack the smirk from his face. Instead, she brushed her hand softly over his cheek.
“She’s probably petite, delicate, with blonde hair that reminds you of a waterfall. Big blue eyes and a voice that’s whisper soft. Am I close?” Elise waited for his answer, holding her breath.
He shifted on the hard ground and her hand fell away from his face. He glanced into the fire, then at her. His own voice lowered. “You’ve described her almost perfectly. Except for the tone of her voice. It’s more like honey.”
Elise gritted her teeth. In her nineteen years, she’d come up against some stiff competition for a man’s affections, and had yet to be bested. In the morning, she’d hand over the remainder of his money. And then, she’d see what he’d do. If he chose to stay with her, possibly her notion of him as a slick riverboat gambler would fall by the wayside. The colonel certainly seemed to genuinely care for him. And if he stayed with her, she’d make certain, by the end of the trip, he wouldn't be able to recollect Madeline’s name. But her heart ached, since she had already accepted she’d always be second-place with him. She might be able to convince him to stay with her a bit longer, but she never could claim his heart, as long as the ghost of Madeline lingered in his mind.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
James couldn’t keep the grin from his face. Even with the weak glow from the fire, Elise could see his reaction, and, judging from the way she shifted in her seat, his grin chafed. She had won the right to ask one question of him, and instead of digging more deeply into his activities during the war, as he’d suspected she’d do, she’d again asked about Madeline.
“Surely, there are more questions about me that you need answers to. Don’t you want the background on how and why I became a spy? Shall we play another hand?” he goaded her.
“Only if you’re up for losing again.” She placed another piece of rabbit on her roasting stick and held it over the flame. “I have no more questions to ask, though. You’re not all that interesting.”
His eyes widened as he shifted his gaze from the fire to her. “You're so certain you’ll win another hand, are you? If I win I get to kiss you again.”
Her back stiffened. “I never made that bet. If you win, you get some rabbit.”
“You already gave me some. Thank you. Or should I say, how do you pronounce it, Miigwich? So we need a new bet, and I’m going to kiss you before we bed down for the night, even if this game takes all night.” James's lips curved upward as she shifted her gaze from the fire to the woods. As if she were searching for a way out.
“You’re so sure of yourself, are you, Slick?” He had gotten under her skin now. Just the way he preferred. When she got her ire up, she became even more fetching, if that were possible.
“I prefer Jack. Jack Diamond. Does the name give you a clue as to what I’m good at?” He riffled the cards and dealt them.
“Lying, deception, traitorous activities? Nothing to boast about, from where I sit.” She snapped as she picked up the cards he’d dealt her.
“No, sweetheart. I’m really good at cards. Having a poker face helped me with my deceptive activities during the war. And now, it’s how I’m amassing my fortune. Part of which you stole from me.” He casually perused his cards. Three of a kind again. Not great. He tossed the two odd ones and glanced at Elise. She appeared puzzled by her hand. She fingered one, two of them. She bit her lip. Threw three away.
He dealt three to her, then two to himself. He took a small breath to calm himself, as he’d done at the tables on many an occasion. He now had four of a kind. It would take a really good hand for her to beat him. He laid his cards down for her to see. She bit her lip again. Then, her tongue flicked out and she moistened her tortured bottom lip. James could barely control his groan.
She laid her cards on the ground, face down. “You win.”
He closed the distance to her before she could draw another breath. Cupping the back of her head, he drew her in close, finally able to taste those lips he kept seeing every time he closed his eyes. He ran his hand down her arm, circled her waist, and drew her onto his lap. His hand slowly made its way up from her waist, and he slid it next to her breast. Her eyes were closed, her breath coming in short, little gasps. He thought about wrapping his hand around her lush, full breast entirely, but in the end, he merely grazed the side of it, leaving her gasping for more. Her little moan spurred him on. He nibbled her lower lip and she opened her mouth to him. As quick and silent as a spy on a mission, he swept his tongue in, enjoying the tang of fried rabbit, and her unique taste.
She made little mewling sounds, similar to a newborn kitten. He could listen to her murmurs of sexual delight all day long. He needed more, though. His lips slid from her mouth down her neck, to the hollow between her collarbones. His tongue flicked over the indentation and her breath caught in her throat.
His heart raced as he listened to her responses to his touch. She rose to meet his lips as he continued to plunder her. He sucked on her earlobe and tickled the sensitive spot behind her ear with his tongue. She responded by running her hands over his chest, dipping her hand inside the open neckline of his shirt.
“Sweetheart, you’re torturing me.” He tightened his arms around her.
He nearly cried out when she turned the tables on him and her fingers teased his nipple. He nearly forgot he was the tormenter, not her. She wanted more from him. He could tell by the way she molded her body to his that she craved more of him. By the way her hands were moving over his body. He needed to back off now, before he gave into the need to touch her breasts, to tease her nipple, to take her totally. Then, he would have to answer to her brothers. And he had no wish to face four angry Indians by himself.
He wrapped his arm around her knees, lifted her up and set her away from him. Her eyes slowly focused again, the glaze of lust leaving them. Instead, he read confusion.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ve had enough.” He picked up the neglected remains of the rabbit and slid them onto a stick, holding the stick over the fire.
She growled and rose, heading into the woods. To calm down or to take care of her nightly needs, he couldn’t tell. He gathered up his deck of cards, flipped her last hand over and stared at them for a long moment. She’d had a royal flush! She’d bested his four of a kind, and left her cards face down in the dirt so he’d take his prize and kiss her. This put things into a completely different perspective. He carefully placed the cards back in the deck and tucked them into his pocket. His lucky deck hadn’t lost its power, despite being curled up at the edges and slightly frayed. Now, what would he do about her?
• ♥ •
She woke slowly as daylight appeared over the horizon. Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, she hesitated to open her eyes. Instead, she burrowed deeper into the warmth, the breath of another caressing her neck, a muscular chest providing as much heat as a saddle blanket. She could stay here all day, in this comforting embrace.
Elise bolted upright with a gasp. James lay next to her, his body wrapped around her. Fortunately, they both were fully clothed, but still. This familiarity between them had to stop. Or go forward. She opted for the more sane former option.
He opened his undamaged eye, that infernal smirk on his face. “Good morning to you, sweetheart. Are you aware you snore?” He chuckled as he sat upright.
He had the audacity to chuckle at her. “I do not snore! And how did your body get so entwined with mine?”
“Because once the fire dwindled, I got cold. Now, give me a proper good morning kiss, will you?” His shirt had come open even more during the night,
revealing a great deal of his chest. A fine growth of dark hair adorned his skin and Elise controlled her impulse to uncurl her fingers and touch his chest hair again.
She stared at him as he puckered his lips and waited for his kiss. He could wait until bull cows grew udders before she’d kiss him again. Elise vaulted up off the ground and spun away from him. She strode into the bushes, as she had last night. After he took advantage of her, kissed her, no, plundered her, until she had none of her common sense left. Until she ached for more. She shouldn’t let him anywhere near her again. Especially, since she couldn’t control her feelings when she snuggled up against him.
She returned with the wad of bills in her fist and tossed them at him. “Take your damn money. Now you have enough and can make good on your wish to show Madeline she’d made the wrong choice. I’m sure by now the news of the infamous Union spy, Jack Diamond, has made its way even back East. When she puts together the fact you and Jack are one and the same, she’ll come running, just as you planned.” Elise's voice shook. “Now there’s no longer any reason for you to follow me. We can finally part ways. I’m taking my horse back to the fort and exchanging it for a canoe. I’ll meet up with my brothers in New Orleans.”
James rose, buttoned his shirt, and made a great show of picking up the bills. “I appreciate you returning my money. But you still owe me for the almighty document you so desperately needed. I’m guessing that’s worth an awful lot.” He glanced her way. “Also, my need to clear my name with Madeline may have slipped a bit.”
James wrapped his arm around Elise’s waist and drew her in for a kiss. Her lips parted in surprise, and he took full advantage, invading her mouth with his tongue. That kiss made her ache. What had this Madeline person been doing when she rejected James? He was the most exciting man Elise had ever come across.
She ran a hand behind his head and tugged him closer, needing to smell as well as taste him before she left. If only to ingrain him in her memory. She may have begun the journey by following two desperate thieves, but she came perilously close to having her heart stolen by this one. The only solution was to make a clean break and get away from him.
She hadn’t yet been able to shake James from his past, to make him see what a vibrant future they could have together. She hadn’t been properly trained for these types of circumstances. She could deal with a female opponent in the flesh, but not a ghost from the past.
His gaze locked with hers for a hot moment before it flickered over her mouth and then returned to her eyes. She could feel his hot breath warming her lips and her tongue crept out to lick them in anticipation. Mere inches separated them, but even an inch caused too great an impasse. She leaned in, grazing his lips.
“Are you certain it’s a good idea to continue to torment me, sweetheart? Once you take the next step, there’s no turning back.” He stepped away slowly, away from her arms.
In answer to his question Elise took a step forward, her body bumping up against him, and the spool of heat in her core unwound. “I’m making good on my payment for the document now, that’s all. So once we do part ways, there will be no need for us ever to come into contact with each other again.” Her lips met his again and he broke his steely composure. His hands roamed over her shoulders, his fingers teasing her breasts. She couldn’t breathe.
“Well, if you’re certain you want this…” He tugged on her blouse, undoing the buttons and letting it fall from her shoulders, exposing even more of her breasts to the morning air. His lips touched her bare skin and his mouth left a trail of hot kisses. He lowered the blouse even more, and one entire breast was revealed, becoming cool without the insulating cloth. James covered her nipple with his mouth and the cool breast immediately heated. As did the rest of her.
She cradled his head, keeping his mouth in place, as she savored the sensations running through her body. The spark where mouth met nipple ignited a wild zinging that ran down her spine to her legs. Her toes curled in their boots, and her center dampened.
A long, low moan emerged from her mouth and she gasped in embarrassment and delight. She was a broodmare waiting for her stallion.
“Oh, James.” She lowered herself to the ground as her legs were the consistency of jelly, and James dropped with her, continuing to torture her breast in the most exquisite way. He leaned her back on the grass and loomed over top of her. His hands were as busy as his mouth, crawling up the leg of her gauchos, his fingers finding their way to the soft skin of her inner thigh.
Her head swiveled back and forth on the ground, seeking relief as she whimpered and gasped. James’s fingers found their way through the slit in her drawers and were playing wicked games with her body. Her little nub of sex vibrated as his fingers grazed over it, time and again. The ache in her middle built higher and higher, fighting for breath as James took her over the edge. Even though it was morning, she saw stars when she glanced up.
Elise brushed James’s cheek as he nuzzled her neck. “Gi zah gin,” she breathed her native tongue’s words of love.
He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “Are you swearing at me in Ojibwa?” His lips curved upward.
She shook her head and brushed her hand down his muscular chest. “No, not swearing. I merely suggested we finish the deed and take care of you now.” Her hand slowly lowered from his chest to the front of his trousers.
“You do tempt me, woman,” he growled as he covered her hand with his.
“I can tell.” She leaned in for another kiss. He tossed her hand away from his body and rose. Elise struggled to rise as well, tugging up her blouse and attempting to untangle her gauchos and her thoughts as she fought to even out her breath.
James put a hand to his forehead. “I can’t take advantage of you Elise, as much as you tempt me. I suspect you were a virgin when you boarded the riverboat, and your brothers are expecting you to be pure when they find you. I can’t be the one to change that. What would your family say to having a gambler in their midst?”
Tears threatened and Elise blinked them away. Tears never helped in any predicament, and even though she'd seen them used effectively by other women, she never indulged for the purpose of garnering the good will of a gentleman. She got his message, loud and clear. He used his profession as an excuse, just as he’d used the damn hanky to protect his heart. He didn’t care enough for her to change his ways. Madeline still stood in between them, her memory being almost larger than life. Well, if that’s the way he wanted it, he certainly wasn’t worth the effort and drama of tears.
“Fine. Go back to your riverboat. Stay with your memories of a long-lost love. Rub Madeline’s nose in your success, and go live your lonely life with her ghost. I’m finished with you.” Elise’s voice held frost and she showed her back to him.
James chuckled and Elise pivoted around to face him again.
“This is funny?” Her hand flew through the air between them.
James plucked her hand from the air and kissed it. “No, I regret I’ve hurt your feelings. But because you returned my winnings, I now have enough money to begin my business. I’ve had my last riverboat ride. And my last hand of poker has been played. As of last night. I got a real surprise when I picked up your cards.”
She tugged her hand from him, her color rising as it hit her he’d seen her winning hand. The one she refused to acknowledge so he’d take his spoils and kiss her.
If anything, the revelation made her angrier, now since he had uncovered her secret. She shook her head, her hair falling around her, acting as a shield. “Now that you have amassed your fortune, I suggest you find another way to get back to your world. I’m heading south, back to the fort, and I recommend you head north. Take your leave of me, sir.”
“As you wish, my lady.” James’s gaze locked on her for a long moment. “You might brush your hair before you see the colonel again.” James taunted her. “You look as if you've just come from your lover’s bed.”
She glared at the infernal man before she strode toward th
e horses. And took a moment to run a hand over her hair. He had been right. Her hair was a mess. And her blouse had come untucked. Had he toyed with her during the night as well as this morning? The thought made her body heat up and shock waves ran through her, sparking her fingers, which had so recently needed to touch his chest, and pooled at her core. She gasped again at her body’s betrayal. Surely, she reacted only to the cool morning air swirling around her. But no, she should be chilly from the air, not so heated she thought she'd combust. She put a hand to her head, hoping to straighten out her thoughts. But she feared there would be no clarification of her feelings until the Confederate pair was behind bars and James had sailed off on another riverboat or headed west.
The subject of her thoughts sighed and took a hesitant step to his horse. He would ride in the opposite direction, away from her. Forever. Did his eyes mirror the same regret she could feel in hers? Or did she merely project her own feelings on him? Her vision blurred as he saddled his horse and rode off without a backward glance.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Elise followed the path she’d created yesterday when she rode out from the fort. The one James used to track her down. Now, she ached to have him find her again, but she didn’t hear anyone behind her. She took a deep breath of the pungent woodsy air to settle herself. He’d left her, gone on his way back to St. Louis, where this whole fiasco had started. He’d done her bidding without an argument, done exactly what she’d asked of him. She needed to find her brothers in New Orleans, demand vengeance for Cody and Clay’s part in this whole affair, and get on home before too much more time elapsed.
Once she got back to her normal routine, she’d forget all about riverboats, gamblers, spies and card games. They’d never been part of her everyday world before, and she certainly didn’t want any part of them in her future. She couldn’t quite set her heart on vengeance against James, though. Not when her heart had been shattered by this man who had visions of a cultured citified woman dancing in his head. Elise couldn’t be further from a debutante blonde if she’d tried.
