by Bobbi Smith
The fact that Clay had been so fierce in protecting her to the point of being willing to kill for her sent a shiver through Reina. She wondered if he'd rescued her because of the money or because he cared about her. The thought troubled her. Her heart longed to think that he'd saved her because he felt something for her. But logic pointed out that he was a man for hire, a man with a job to do. Reina wondered why that thought pained her so badly, and she refused to think about it further.
The whiskey's magical potency began to work upon her beleaguered senses then. Her better judgment suddenly seemed to have lost influence with her, and she found herself relaxing and enjoying being with Clay without fighting. The headiness of the slow dance and the sheer pleasure of being held so close against him set her senses reeling. She wanted this. She wanted him. She let her eyes close as she imagined in her alcohol-induced fantasy that they were far away from here and the ugliness of their current situation. It was a pleasant dream, and she clung to it.
Clay sensed the subtle change in Reina as he felt the tension ease from her. He glanced down, wondering at her mood. He expected to see anger and rebellion in her expression. Instead, what he saw reflected on her lovely face shocked him. Her stubborn expression was gone. There was no look of defiance, no look of hatred. She looked positively radiant, and her eyes had drifted shut as if she was truly enjoying the dance. Clay stifled a groan of defeat as his gaze shifted lower to her mouth, for her lips were moist and soft and slightly parted, as if she was breathlessly waiting for his kiss.
A sudden, near violent need to crush her to his chest and kiss her possessed Clay. He didn't understand it. He only knew that he had to have her. Now. Anything that had gone before between them was lost in his obsession to make love to her. He continued to dance with her, but he slowly made his way toward the hotel. Reaching the walk that led inside, he didn't speak, but merely stopped dancing and took her hand in his to lead her off.
Reina's senses were attuned to his. As he drew her with him with a gentle yet firm touch, there was no balking, no fighting. She instinctively knew what he wanted, for she wanted the same thing herself. She wanted to belong to him in every way.
Neither of them spoke as they crossed the lobby and made their way to their rooms. Clay did not even bother with her door, but went straight to his own. Unlocking it, he swept her up into his arms and went inside. He kicked it shut behind him, pausing only long enough to lock it and then give her a lingering kiss.
Reina returned his embrace with a passionate fervor of her own. When he moved to the bed to lay her upon it, she kept her arms around his neck and drew him down with her.
Clay could not stop kissing her or touching her. This thing between them was elemental in its strength. Like the winds of a storm or the crashing waves of the sea, it could not be stopped or controlled. It was love, the most powerful force on earth, and sharing it as they were only increased its potency and its need.
His mouth moved over hers, parting her lips and tasting of the honeyed sweetness there. As his hands sought her breasts, she whimpered softly in excitement. She clutched at his shoulders, her nails digging into his back as he unfastened the buttons of her bodice. Clay parted the material, baring her breasts to his caresses, and she cried out to him in ecstasy as he sought out the sensitive, passion-hardened crests. When his lips followed the path his hands had traced, she arched against him, longing to be closer to him.
Their clothing was a barrier against the intimacy they both craved, and Clay moved slightly away to unbutton his own shirt and strip it off. Reina's eyes were glowing as she stared at the broad expanse of his chest. She sat up slightly, shrugging free of the remnants of her dress so she was bared to the waist and then leaned forward to press kisses to that broad, hard plane of muscles.
Clay groaned aloud at her move, and he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her back so he could kiss her. The feel of her velvety breasts against him sent his desire soaring, and he knew he could wait no longer to seek that perfect union with her.
They broke apart and shed the last of their clothing, then came back together in a blaze of passion. He slid over her, seeking her lips as he fit himself to her. It thrilled him when she adjusted for him, and he moved deep within her, filling her with his love. Reina welcomed him eagerly. She held him close, taking all he had to give and returning it full measure.
In exquisite harmony, they began the tempo together. They were on fire with the need for that glorious rapture that came only with fulfillment. The heights of passion beckoned them onward. They ascended, scaling the peak to the crest where enchantment burst upon them in a sparkling rainbow of delight. Enthralled, they cried each other's name, acknowledging in that moment of splendor, the power and depth of their need.
The turbulence of their desire sated, they kissed once more. It was a tantalizing, lingering kiss, a kiss of promise and of the unspoken emotion neither of them would admit. Clay cradled her near, savoring the softness of her against him.
Reality was blurred by the haze of euphoria that surrounded them. Whether liquor-induced or not, neither cared. They lay in each other's arms without speaking. Touching and kissing, cherishing and loving, until at long last a blissful peace enveloped them both, and they slept.
It was the middle of the night when Reina came awake to find herself lying quietly on her side next to Clay, one leg entwined with his, her hand resting over his heart. Thinking of the perfect beauty that had transpired between them, she realized with a deep sadness in her heart that she had fallen in love with him. It was a terrible truth, a miserable truth, but the truth nonetheless.
Reina wasn't sure how it had happened, and she supposed it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that she loved him and that it could never be, for he didn't love her. He had merely taken what she'd offered.
A tear trickled down her cheek, and a great sense of impending doom overwhelmed her as she realized how completely hopeless her situation was now. There would be no more chances to escape. Her best attempts had proven futile. She was condemned to the life her father had chosen for her... a life spent married to a man she couldn't stand.
A ragged sigh tore from Reina as she fought to keep from crying harder. She didn't want to awaken Clay. She didn't even want to talk with him again if she could help it, for she feared that she might accidentally give herself away. She didn't want him to know how she felt about him. He worked for her father. He was his ally, not hers. No matter what they had shared physically, he was not her friend.
Withdrawing from all contact with him, she moved as far away from him as she could and then huddled in misery there under the blanket. In just a few short weeks she would be at Rancho Alvarez. It used to be that there was nowhere else she'd rather be than home, but now the prospect filled her with despair. Her future stretched bleakly, endlessly before her, and she wondered how she would ever suffer through it.
Reina lay for what seemed like hours before she finally got back to sleep, but even then, it was a fitful, restless slumber that did nothing to ease the grimness that now possessed her soul.
Clay awoke shortly after daybreak to find Reina sleeping by his side. He marvelled at her loveliness and had to resist the urge to touch her again. He lay back, staring at the ceiling, a forearm resting across his forehead as he went over in his mind all that had happened the night before.
Reina...she was so beautiful and so responsive to his lovemaking. Even now, heat filled him as he remembered the ecstasy of being buried deep within her body. It was almost as if they were made for one another, so perfect had their lovemaking been.
Vaguely, Clay wondered how he could allow himself to feel this way about her. She was the object of his search. She was the treasure that had to be returned to its rightful owner. Yet, somehow, somewhere along the way, he'd allowed himself to care about her. Her beauty and intelligence and pure grit impressed him. She was nearly indomitable. He was lucky that he'd been sharp enough to keep up with her. Any ordinary man would
have been run ragged.
A small, proud smile curved his mouth as he turned his head to gaze at her again. Asleep, she looked innocent and almost unearthly beautiful, but he knew better. She was filled with more fire than ten other women, and the fire in her had ignited a hot, flaming blaze within him. Something stirred within his heart, too, something he couldn't quite put a name to, but that moved him deeply.
It shocked Clay to discover that he felt this strongly about Reina. He knew it was ridiculous for him to care. He knew without a doubt that she despised him and that she was already pledged to someone else. He'd only be making a fool of himself if he allowed these feelings to come to mean any thing to him. There could be no future for them. No matter what he felt for her, there was still Dev to consider.
At the memory of his friend, Clay left the bed and, after pulling on his pants, he went to stand at the window and stare out at the rising sun. Soon they would be back in California. Soon he would give Reina back to her father. Dev would then be freed, and they would be able to get on with their lives.
As he thought about it now, though, Clay was filled with a terrible guilt at the prospect of turning Reina over to him. He glanced back at her where she lay so quietly, so defenselessly, and a great ache expanded within his chest.
Sternly, he denied the emotion that threatened. Only Dev was important. His own feelings meant nothing. Reina didn't need him or want him, and she'd already proven what a survivor she was. No, things would be fine once he delivered her home to her waiting father.
The week since he'd married Molly had been the happiest Dev could ever remember. He had moved in with the Magees, and it seemed that almost overnight they had truly become a family in the finest sense of the word. His life, once so unsettled, now took on a firm, secure base. He belonged. He was loved. He'd started his job with the sheriff, and with the regular money coming in now, Molly took great delight in quitting her job. When Dev wasn't working with Macauley, he labored on the property, trying to make the improvements he'd envisioned before.
In spite of all his joy and contentment, though, Dev still felt a nagging concern about Clay. His friend had been gone a long time, and with each passing day his worry grew. Finally, unable to deny his disquiet any longer, he decided to have a talk with Luis Alvarez. He hoped the rancher would know what was happening with his friend.
Dev admired his surroundings as he rode up the drive toward the sprawling, attractive main house. It was easy to see that Rancho Alvarez was a very successful operation. As he reined in and dismounted in front of the Alvarez home, the young boy, Carlos, appeared out of nowhere to take his reins for him. Dev was impressed, and when he was greeted by Consuelo, one of the maids, even before he had time to knock on the door, he was even more so.
"Welcome to Rancho Alvarez, sir. Can I help you with something?" the middle-aged, slightly rotund servant inquired.
"Yes, I'm here to see Luis Alvarez, please. The name's O'Keefe... Devlin O'Keefe," he announced.
Seeing the deputy's badge on his shirt, Consuelo didn't hesitate to invite him inside and direct him into the parlor. "Please wait in there and make yourself comfortable. I'll tell Senor that you are here."
"Thanks." Dev took off his hat as he entered the house, and he went on into the room she'd indicated. He did not sit down, however, for the richly decorated room left him feeling decidedly out of place.
The news that O'Keefe had come to see him was no surprise to Luis. He'd been expecting him to show up asking questions about Cordell, ever since he'd heard that he'd been cleared of the murder charges against him and released from jail. He hurried to join him in the study.
"Mr. O'Keefe..."
At the sound of Luis's voice behind him, Dev turned to face the old Californio who had just closed the door for privacy and moved easily into the room. He had an aura of command and confidence about him. It was evident that he was a man used to luxury, and he seemed very at home here in the sumptuously appointed sitting room.
"Mr. Alvarez..."
"Yes, what can I do for you?" As he studied Dev, he noticed his badge and said with some surprise, "Deputy, now, is it?"
"Yes, I've been hired on by the sheriff."
"Well, congratulations. That's quite a turnabout in your situation, isn't it?"
"Yes, but that's not why I'm here."
"This isn't official business, then?"
"No," he assured him. "I just rode out here to check with you about my partner, Clay Cordell. I know that you hired him to do a job for you, and I was just wondering if you know how soon he'll be back?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't know where your cohort is, Mr. O'Keefe. He left here weeks ago, and I haven't heard from him since."
Dev frowned. He didn't like this, not at all. "Well, do you have any idea where he might have gone?"
"None whatsoever," he replied firmly, not wanting to discuss Reina with this man.
His evasiveness irritated Dev, and his tone hardened. "Look, Mr. Alvarez, Clay is my friend as well as my partner. I'm concerned about him. I want to know where he is."
"As I told you..." He didn't get to finish as Dev interrupted.
"I know he's searching for your daughter. Surely, you gave him some suggestions about where she might have gone."
Luis was angered to discover that he knew about the search for Reina. "That is confidential information."
"That's what Clay told me, and I've respected that. But after all this time, I think you should be growing a litde concerned, don't you? I mean, he's only tracking down a runaway girl. How difficult could that be? He should have been back with her long before now."
Stiffening at his words, he glared at Dev and then said with imperial disdain and not just a little touch of pride, "You obviously do not know my daughter, Mr. O'Keefe. She is not just `a runaway.' She is a very beautiful young woman, but she is also resourceful, headstrong, and determined."
"Then shouldn't you be worried? What if there was some kind of trouble? What if something's happened to the both of them? Have you ever given that a thought?" he challenged.
Luis's facade cracked for just a moment under his prodding. "Of course, I've thought about it!" he answered, his tone agonized. "I've thought of nothing else for weeks now!"
"Then tell me where they might be. I can help look for them... for her," he offered.
"I'm sure she's left California. Had she been here, your friend would have found her ages ago. The only thing I can believe is that she went to New Orleans. She has friends there, friends who would help her if she was really that serious about staying away."
"New Orleans..." Dev was startled. No wonder Clay had been gone so long.
"If Cordell followed her there and managed to catch up with her, they should be returning here at any time now. If not-" He moved away from him and went to stare out the window at the vastness of his rancho. "If not, then I don't know what I am going to do..."
The terrible thought that he might lose his beloved home tore at his heart, but that pain was outweighed now by his fear for his daughter's safety. Surely, Reina was all right, but if she was, why hadn't she given up this folly and returned home. Where was she?
"Do you know how he traveled to New Orleans?"
"No.
Dev became frustrated as he realized there was absolutely nothing he could do but sit and wait. "There's no point in my going to Louisiana looking for them. But I want you to let me know the minute you hear anything, all right?"
Luis faced him. "I will, Mr. O'Keefe. If there's any word from Cordell, I'll notify you."
"I'd appreciate it."
The rancher walked him to the door and bid him good-bye. He watched as Dev rode off and then was about to turn around when a cold, savage voice rang out in the empty foyer.
"So, Reina's run away, has she?" Nathan's words were a vicious snarl.
"Nathan..." Luis said his name in despair and humiliation as a cold, sickening feeling washed over him and settled in the pit of his stomach. What little
serenity he'd had left in his soul was destroyed, and he was left in shock.
"Yes, Nathan, "he said harshly.
"How did you get in here?"
"If you must know, your servant was kind enough to let me wait in the study while you spoke with your other guest. But what does that matter, and why change the subject, Alvarez? Let's talk about what's really going on here. Where's Reina? Where's my precious fiancee?" he thundered.
Luis was cornered and unsure of what to do. He didn't know just how much Nathan had heard.
"Don't try to lie your way out of this. I'm sick of your lies. I want to know where she is," he demanded.
"I don't know," the Californio managed.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
Luis's temper flared at being spoken to in such a way. "If you eavesdropped on my entire conversa tion, then you know very well just what I mean. She has run off, and I hired Clay Cordell, the bounty hunter, to find her. I haven't heard anything yet.
"How long ago did she leave?"
"Weeks," he admitted.
"Weeks," Nathan repeated angrily. "You mean you've been lying to me this whole time?"
"Now, just relax, Nathan." He tried to calm him. "As I was telling O'Keefe, my daughter is very strong-willed, but she isn't stupid. She'll be back. I assure you the wedding will go on as planned."
"Oh, I'm certain of that, Alvarez," the greedy American told him. Just because the woman was unwilling, didn't mean the marriage wouldn't take place. It didn't matter to him what Reina wanted. It only mattered to him what he wanted, and he wanted Rancho Alvarez.
Luis brightened at this news. "Then you still want to marry Reina?"
"Of course," Nathan answered sharply. "Do you think I can afford for this to become public knowledge after the engagement celebration and wedding announcement we had? No, I will still take your lovely daughter as my bride, Luis. Mark my words."
