by Carol Finch
When the memory of being held down by those drunken drifters bombarded her, she gritted her teeth and cursed them half a dozen times. They had stolen her feeling of confidence that she could come, go and do as she pleased on a whim. This had been a hellish day and the unexpected attack had been the last straw.
She jerked upright when someone knocked on the door. “Who’s there?” She reached for her pistol and mentally reminded herself to sew hidden pockets into her gowns so she wouldn’t end up as vulnerable as she had tonight. She was also going to purchase a bigger knife—one that discouraged miscreants from pestering her, she decided.
“It’s Nate. I brought you a supper tray.”
“Not hungry.”
“Of course you are,” he contradicted. “Open the door so I don’t have to break it down. No matter what, I’m coming in. Guaran-damn-teed.”
She huffed out her breath, whipped open the door, glared at him and said, “I didn’t realize you were so pushy. And here I was just beginning to like you.”
He smiled charmingly as he brushed past her. “It’s the lawman coming out in me.”
“Try to keep those lawman characteristics to a minimum in my presence, please,” she requested. “I told you, I’m not particularly fond of marshals and such.”
“I remember. Let’s talk about why you become defensive and you rebel against symbols of authority…” His voice trailed off when he became distracted by her nightgown.
Rachel followed his gaze, noting the fabric was too sheer to be worn in mixed company. However, considering how intimate they had become this afternoon, it was too late for modesty. She told herself to get past her embarrassment and resist the urge to cover herself with a robe. Nate had seen her completely naked already. There was nothing left to hide from him—except the possibility that she was a murderess and a thief. Couldn’t forget that.
“Don’t you have a robe?” he asked hoarsely as he dragged his gaze upward to stare at the air over her head.
“Yes. Would you like to wear it?”
Nate chuckled. “No, but you’re distracting me to the extreme so put it on, please.”
She rummaged through her satchel to don the simple cotton garment she had made while working for Jennifer Grantham at the boutique. Then she sank down on the edge of the bed to nibble at the bread and cheese. “The supper tray was very thoughtful of you.”
“I want to know who you are and what you’re hiding,” he said without preamble. “No more elusive games, Rachel.”
Her skinned chin shot up and she stared at him defiantly. “Am I a criminal you were sent here to interrogate?”
“No.”
“Am I a witness to a crime that you came to interview?”
“No.”
“Then what makes you think you have the authority to pry into my personal life?”
He fisted his hands on his hips and a muscle clenched in his jaw. Clearly, he was struggling to keep his temper. “What happened between us this afternoon gives me the right,” he countered.
When he stared at her with such intense sky-blue eyes that searched out the secrets in her soul, she focused her undivided attention on the tray rather than on him.
“You believe you have the right to have this sort of conversation with all the other women you’ve slept with?” she said caustically, and realized that she felt annoyed there had been other women in his life. She had no right to be jealous and possessive. But still…
“No, just the ones with whom I’ve discovered, at the last possible moment,” he said meaningfully, “that I am their first experiment with sex.”
“How many of us are there?” Although she blushed profusely at the personal direction of their conversation, she wanted to know how many inexperienced women had fallen beneath his seductive spell.
While he stared her down, she tried not to fidget awkwardly. She wanted to appear nonchalant, but she doubted she’d be able to pull it off.
“Counting you?”
She nodded her head jerkily, then crammed a chunk of cheese in her mouth.
“You’re the one and only.”
That pleased her immensely but for the life of her she didn’t know why. Maybe she wanted to be the first at something with Nate. After all, she’d made the ridiculous, stupendously foolish mistake of falling in love with him, no matter how hard she’d tried not to.
And she had tried extremely hard not to!
Apparently, she had been cursed with the same critical flaw that afflicted her grandmother and her mother. Rachel had lost her heart to a man who was all wrong for her. Not that any of them were right for her, she amended. Because of her mixed heritage and varied background, she was a misfit of the worst sort. Not the proper, genteel lady most men dreamed of marrying…
She suddenly remembered the insulting comment Adolph Turner had made the night he’d pounced on her. He’d said she wasn’t a dignified lady so there was no reason to bother courting her respectfully. She deserved no more than to be propositioned to become his most recent mistress—after the last one did him the discourtesy of dying mysteriously and leaving him surrounded by a fog of suspicion.
“Rachel, if there is a possibility of a child—”
She flung up her hand to silence him. “Don’t you dare tell me that you would do the honorable thing and fulfill your obligation by marrying me,” she practically snarled at him.
“But I would, you know,” he said softly and sincerely.
It didn’t matter how softly and sincerely he uttered the vow. It was the last thing she wanted to hear from the only man who had ever touched her heart.
“You can leave now,” she muttered as she chewed on a slice of bread.
“No,” he said gruffly.
“Yes.” She made a stabbing gesture toward the door, as if he were too dense to know where it was. “Get…out…”
“Not a chance in hell, angel face. You are not getting rid of me that easily.”
Chapter Nine
Nate walked purposefully across the room. He halted to tower over her, but she refused to look up. She decided to pretend he wasn’t there and see how that worked.
“I don’t know what came over me this afternoon,” he blurted out unexpectedly.
She knew. He’d been at the mercy of her potion. Her conscience kept reminding her that her actions weren’t as noble as she wanted to pretend because it wasn’t a purely unselfish act.
“I made it clear last night and this morning that I wanted you,” he reminded her. “But I hadn’t intended to force you into—”
She bolted up in front of him before he could finish the sentence. Feeling self-conscious, she spoke directly to the buttons of his shirt that covered the muscular wall of his chest. “I told you that what happened was my fault. I came to your room. I wanted to be with you. Therefore, I hereby declare that you aren’t responsible for possible consequences. I don’t know how to make it clearer than I have, Nate.”
He curled his forefinger under her chin, forcing her to raise her gaze to his wry smile. “I get it now. You don’t mind using me for experimental sexual purposes, but you don’t consider me worthy husband and father material, is that right?”
She nearly drowned in those hypnotic eyes, surrounded by thick black lashes, and she practically melted beneath that sensuous smile. Damn, he was incredibly handsome without the heavy beard and mustache that concealed his striking features.
She shored up her faltering resolve and said, “I was trying not to hurt your feelings, but yes. If you aren’t the Queen of Sheba’s crowned prince with a kingdom and a fortune at your disposal, then I’m not interested.”
A strange flicker passed through his eyes and his face closed up quickly. “So you plan to marry for money?”
She suspected that she had hurt his feelings, in her effort to make him back off. That played hell with her conscience, too. Nevertheless, she had to do whatever necessary to make him understand that she did not hold him responsible.
“I told you t
hat I’m not planning to marry at all. Having a man around, who thinks he is entitled to tell me what to do, is an offensive prospect. I’ve been on my own too long to sacrifice my independence for love or money.”
“So…if I strike it rich, you still won’t be interested?” he prodded relentlessly.
He was studying her with fierce intensity, as if her response was vitally important to him. She couldn’t fathom why. He was leaving soon and she wasn’t going with him. So that was that. Period. End of their story.
“Definitely not interested,” she reaffirmed. “Wealth might change your attitude and personality.” She thought of Adolph’s lust for power and domination. Disgust shot through her like a speeding bullet. “I like you just the way you are.”
“Do you?” He scrutinized her closely again and she fidgeted beneath his probing stare. “How much?”
What did it matter? This dead-end affair would be over in less than two days.
“Rachel?”
She dodged his gaze, afraid to admit how deeply she felt about him, tormented by the knowledge that this might be her last opportunity to be alone with him before he rode to Dodge City.
“Whatever you’re hiding about your past, I can—”
She pushed up on tiptoe to press her lips to his. “You vowed to do whatever makes me feel better tonight,” she reminded him again. “Being with you is what I want. No strings, no questions, no promises.”
“You drive a hard bargain,” he murmured against the curve of her throat.
“All I’m asking for is tonight.” She moved provocatively against him, noting that he was already aroused.
“You can have whatever you want…me included. No argument there,” he whispered roughly.
His mouth came down hard and insistent on hers. Rachel gave herself up to the heat that burst instantly through her body. She desperately wanted to replace her assailant’s hurtful manhandling with Nate’s skillful lovemaking. She wanted to feel his brawny body moving familiarly against hers. To taste him, to lose herself in his appealing scent, to have him as close as possible for as long as the passion between them lasted.
If tonight was the last time they were alone, she refused to waste another moment. She knew sizzling pleasure awaited her and she yearned to send the world and all of its problems away in the wind of ungovernable passion.
“A shame I didn’t know what I’ve been missing these past few years,” she teased playfully as she splayed her hands over his broad chest. “You, Mr. Montgomery, have been quite an education.”
He chuckled in roguish amusement as she unbuttoned his shirt, then raked her nails over his hirsute flesh. “I aim to please, ma’am,” he drawled. “Whatever you want, however you want it, all you have to do is ask.”
She wanted to ask what it took to make a man like Nate fall in love with her. Instead she said, “Just make me forget what a lousy night I’ve had.”
“I’ll be more than happy to try,” he whispered as his head came slowly, steadily toward hers.
This time his lips touched hers with such incredible tenderness that she melted against him, surrendering immediately to her heartfelt affection for him. When he scooped her into his arms, then laid her on the bed, her gaze never left his as he stretched out beside her. His hands drifted sensuously over her body and every ounce of tension that had pelted her during the day evaporated instantly.
His moist lips brushed the beaded tips of her breasts and her body radiated with the exquisite pleasure he offered her. His fingertips skimmed over her skin, sensitizing every inch of her flesh, making her tremble with erotic anticipation.
“Feeling better yet?” he murmured as he flicked his tongue against one taut nipple and then the other.
She felt so relaxed and aroused that it took a moment to register his question. “I can’t remember anything before the moment you walked into my room.”
That was the honest truth. He had appeared and he’d filled up all the lonely corners and crevices in her world. His dynamic presence had obliterated her ordeal with the drunken drifters. The ardent sensations created by his skillful caresses left no part of her untouched.
“Good. Glad to hear it.” His warm breath feathered over her belly, making her quiver with pleasure. “Now let’s see if I can make you forget everything you ever knew.”
When he slid his finger inside her heated core to drive her crazy with intimate caresses, she couldn’t think past the frantic needs burgeoning inside her. He stroked her with maddening thoroughness, then withdrew, leaving her arching shamelessly toward him, begging for more of his erotic touch. He caressed her again and fiery sensations expanded until she swore she’d burst into flames.
His name tumbled from her lips, repeatedly, as the crescendo of white-hot need fed upon itself like an uncontrollable wildfire. When his lips grazed her secretive flesh and he flicked at her with his tongue, a coil of searing heat unfurled inside her, robbing her of breath, shattering her composure like fragile crystal.
“Please…” she gasped as aching need pulsated through her.
“I’m trying,” he teased, then offered her another intimate kiss that drove her mad with wanting. “How am I doing so far?”
“You’re incredibly good—” Her voice fizzled out completely when spasms of rapture rippled through her. She reached for him in frantic desperation, wanting him as she never wanted anything in life.
He came to her when she needed him most, filling her at the exact moment when she teetered dangerously close to the edge of mindless oblivion. He drove into her with the same kind of urgency she felt clamoring through her. She clung to him, desperate to appease the burning ache that consumed her. But to her surprise—and her impatience—he rolled sideways, then set her above him so that she was riding him.
Rachel stared down at him, feeling him pulsing deep inside her, watching a roguish smile spread across his handsome face. She felt him arch into her and heard him groan in pleasure. When he clamped his hands on her hips and moved her up and down on his hard shaft, need welled up inside her all over again. Her lashes fluttered shut when another tumultuous wave of ecstasy crested over her and indefinable sensations rippled through every fiber of her being.
“Open your eyes and look at me,” he demanded hoarsely. “I want you to see what you do to me.”
Despite the incredible intimacy that made her blush, she watched passion overtake him, saw his entrancing blue eyes drift over her body like a possessive caress. He cupped her breasts in his hands, then tugged gently at her nipples, summoning yet another spasm of hungry need from deep inside her.
While he arched into her, thrusting upward, over and over again, she fought to draw breath. Overwhelming pleasure riveted her. When he whispered her name, then pulled her down on top of him, she felt him shudder convulsively beneath her. She clutched at him urgently and savored the incredible moment she shared with him.
She wanted to pull him closer, though they were already as close as two people could possibly get. He had become the burning flame inside her, a living breathing part of her, the other half of her soul…and she never wanted to let him go.
Inexpressible pleasure and roiling emotion bombarded her from all directions at once. It was at that exact moment, while she was suspended in sublime ecstasy, that Rachel did forget everything she ever knew. She couldn’t think past the intimacy of being one with Nate to remember what her life had been like before he taught her the meaning of passion and willing surrender. Her world began and ended within the sinewy circle of his arms and nothing satisfied her more than feeling his muscular body joined completely with hers.
For this night, this one magical night that transcended time and space, nothing else mattered to Rachel. Nothing could harm or frighten her because she had discovered a slice of heaven on earth.
That was her last thought before sleep overtook her and erotic dreams began where reality left off.
When Rachel slumped against him, fast asleep, Nate eased away. He smiled as he combed
his fingers through the silky raven tresses that tumbled over her shoulders and spilled across the pillow. He didn’t know if Rachel had forgotten everything she knew, but he certainly had.
He’d never known a woman like Rachel. She was tough and resilient. She was also a dozen kinds of passion waiting release. She was the symbol of indomitable spirit and independence, and he admired her strength and determination.
He seemed to have no self-control whatsoever when Rachel was in his arms. When she responded to him with pure instinct and reckless abandon, his ravenous need for her knew no restraint.
Nate walked over to cover up Rachel, then brushed a feathery kiss on her forehead. He still wasn’t sure if he was relieved or insulted that Rachel insisted she wouldn’t marry him under any circumstances. All he knew was that the prospect of some other man coming along to take his place—even temporarily—in the future didn’t set well with him.
Lost in thought, Nate tiptoed over to douse the lantern. With the supper tray in hand, he exited the room. He pulled up short because Doc Grant stood in the hall, glowering at him in blatant disapproval. How did Doc know what had gone on behind the closed door? Nate asked himself.
He followed Doc’s disparaging gaze to his torso—and noticed his shirt was buttoned improperly. Well, hell. That was a dead giveaway.
“Damn you, I told you not to toy with Rachel.” Doc stabbed his index finger into Nate’s chest for emphasis. “She’s like the daughter I never had. I won’t let you or any other man hurt her.”
Nate had never seen Doc so puffed up with anger and indignation. Usually he was wallowing in his own misery and battling his demons. Now his hazel-eyed gaze filleted Nate and his lips curled with disdain. If Nate were easily intimidated, he might have backed away from the skewering glare. However, Nate had confronted heartless criminals who preferred to kill him rather than look at him, so Doc’s murderous glower rolled off him like water off a duck’s back.
When Doc growled a few epithets to his name, then tried to stalk past him to open the door to Rachel’s room, Nate blocked his path. “She’s asleep. She needs to stay that way. You can speak with her in the morning.”
