by Téa Cooper
She mounted in a flash, like a boy leaping into the saddle and she gave the fiery black stallion his head. Tom swung himself up onto the gray and it needed no urging to follow the fleeing pair. He finally caught up with them, something he suspected she’d allowed to happen, and they rode side by side across the Common in an easy canter toward the river flats until she dug her heels in once more.
“Race.” The words flew over her shoulder as she spurred Nero into a gallop and Tom took up her challenge. They galloped across the river flats neck and neck. Never had he seen a woman ride so hard or so perfectly. The faultless harmony between horse and rider filled him with admiration. She held her head high and his eyes traced her long straight spine to the full curve of her buttocks. The rhythmic pounding of the hooves on hard packed dirt reverberated in his chest and his breath caught as she rose in her stirrups and urged Nero on, her thighs clenched. The exhilaration on her face and her grace and style mesmerized him.
Finally she slowed as they neared a majestic gum tree guarding a bend in the river and she pulled up letting out a victorious whoop when he rode up beside her.
“I won.” At her smug satisfaction and grin of glowing exuberance, Tom’s chest tightened painfully. “That was wonderful.”
The sides of their horses were flecked with sweat and they turned and followed the riverbank, walking slowly side by side. An unfamiliar feeling of contentment enveloped him. The dark shadows haunting him lifted for a moment. Perhaps it was a happiness he didn’t deserve, but he intended to grasp it with both hands and make the most of it while he had the chance. Too much in his life had been fleeting. He wanted this time to last forever. Closing the distance between them he leaned over in the saddle and wrapped one hand around her neck, pulling her close and pressed a warm kiss against her lips. Her lavender eyes darkened to indigo as she laughed up at him. He wanted to ask her to stay with him; to forget her father, the ransom money and her life and stay with him here at the Common, but the cold realization of the futility of his dream settled on him. She was a lady, and he was nothing more than a wanted man with no prospects. No woman would want him, not even one who could ride like the wind and relished freedom and adventure.
****
Lily pulled Nero up in the shade of a huge river red gum, the branches arched toward the sky creating a haven from the scorching sun beside the pristine water. She drew in a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the eucalyptus mingled with the grass, dust and horseflesh. It was a perfect day, the idyllic peace and tranquility of the bush in late spring.
She slipped from the saddle and dropped the reins to allow Nero to find his own way to the edge of the creek.
“It’s a beautiful spot you have here,” she said as Tom dropped to the ground beside her.
“A beautiful spot for a beautiful woman,” His deep voice ran over her skin like the sunlight. Just inches from her, his chest rose and fell and she could feel his warmth and smell the heady scent of his skin. The freedom, the air and the sunshine intoxicated her. His dark hair, slightly damp from the exertion of the ride, only added to his air of rugged sensuality. A thrill of anticipation coursed through her when he closed the gap between them and pressed his hard body against hers. The air seemed to shimmer around them and she felt herself drowning in his eyes, as black as a moonless bush night.
He raised his arm and framed her head as he placed the palms of his hands against the tree trunk. The cotton of his shirtsleeves billowed in the river breeze exposing his tanned, muscular forearms. His fingers softly grazed the base of her neck and unleashed a flush of heat. “I think it’s about time we accepted this attraction, don’t you?” He reached and took a stray curl in his fingers, twisting it gently around his finger.
Lily’s stomach somersaulted at the intimacy of the moment and his dark gaze burned into hers sending shivers coursing through her body. For a long moment she stared deep into his eyes, then he dropped the ringlet he had been holding and lowered his head and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. The blood pounded through her veins as she relaxed into him. His hand cradled the back of her head and he drew her even closer until she threaded her arms around his neck and their tongues met and chased in an intimate dance. She dropped her hands to his chest and curled her fingers around the soft fibers of his shirt, holding him against her aching breasts. He traced the outline of her mouth with his tongue then leaned back from her.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?”
She shook her head unable to understand the effect that he had on her, and her knees trembled as he trailed his finger across her cheek. His tender smile softened the hard planes of his face and tugged at a place deep inside her. Incapable of speaking, she simply tilted her head and pressed her lips to his. He took possession of her mouth, probing and searching until the heat of desire scorched her whole body. His hands slid down her back and came to rest at her waist, his thumbs slotting into the waistband of her breeches pulling her tight against him with a force that shocked and aroused her.
She lifted herself onto her toes and threaded her fingers into the hair on the nape of his neck her body tingled from his proximity. The stubble of his unshaven face rasped against her skin and the iron hard length of his arousal pressed into her stomach. The heat surged through her veins and a rush of warmth pooled between her thighs. She drew a shuddering breath, astounded by her reaction to this man–her captor. She had intended to bend him to her will, instead he had taken control of her body. A wave of confusion and distress flooded her and she pulled away from him.
Dragging herself further away, she ducked beneath his arm and ran toward Nero bounding onto his back as he stood grazing on the creek edge. She had time for one shuddering breath before Tom swung up behind her, and his strong arms wrapped around her waist. She sighed, no more able to resist than a moth caught in the candle’s flame and leaned back surrendering the reins to his capable hands.
He urged Nero into a canter leaving the gray to follow of its own accord. Leaning back against him, every nerve in her body thrummed with the pulse of his body and she relished the safety and security of being literally wrapped in his arms. The musky smell of his skin seeped into every pore and she became sensitized to every detail of the ride: his thighs pressed intimately against hers, the steady drum of Nero’s hooves on the fertile soil, the patterned bark of the gum trees and the contrast of the green eucalyptus leaves against the red of their stalks. She’d cast herself in the role of seducer but it seemed he had the upper hand. A guilty rush of longing swept through her. The task she had set herself was going to be far easier than she imagined.
The thought pulled her up short. It would be so easy to fall for this man, her captor. The strength of her attraction was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Certainly a million miles from the security of friendship and companionship of her relationship with Dom. Was that why it had been so easy to get through the days after his death? She missed him, would always miss him, but as a cherished friend not as a lover. He had never been that. They had been young and the situation romantic, but there had been no spark of uncontrollable passion. Dom had been like a favorite brother. It was so much easier to see that now she was confronted with a real man not a handsome, reckless and chivalrous boy.
“It seems life goes on quite well without us.” Tom’s breath tickled the back of her neck and she closed her eyes enjoying the sanctuary of his arms as Nero ambled toward the stables.
She looked around and noticed the remounts were out in the paddock behind the house, the yard cleaned and a bale of hay waiting. She slid quickly to the ground her face heated at the thought of Bonnie seeing her entwined in Tom’s arms.
She left Tom to release their horses and walked quickly to the veranda, slipping into a seat at the table with Bonnie and Will. Bonnie smiled and pushed the platter of cold mutton, cheese and apples toward Lily.
“You must be hungry after all that exercise.” Her friendly grin spoke volumes.
“And thirsty.” Lily emptied t
he jug of water into a tin mug and drank deeply. It seemed that normal rules of propriety didn’t exist on the Common and no further comment was made about their long absence or their unconventional arrival.
Perhaps no one dared contradict their leader. What did it matter?
Already society would have labeled her as having consorted with bushrangers so there was little reputation to be concerned about and she had never really cared for the opinions of the hidebound colonial society she’d grown up in.
Tom slipped onto the bench beside her and reached for an apple. The crunch resounded round the table as he sank his straight white teeth into the shiny red skin.
“What are everyone’s plans for the afternoon?” His gaze sought hers. She lowered her eyes hoping avoiding his eyes. His lips against the skin of the apple were full and sensuous. She had an overwhelming urge to cradle his tanned face in her hands and cover his lips with her kisses.
“Lily?”
Startled she looked up and caught his knowing smile. “I’m sorry?”
“I asked what your plans were for the afternoon. There’s a hammock out the back if you fancy a nap.” A cheeky grin lit up his face.
“No thanks. I’m not tired.”
“Do you play chess?”
She nodded, bemused by the incongruity of playing chess in the middle of the bush in a slab hut. Somehow she equated chess with her father’s library or the schoolroom.
“I’ll be back,” he promised.
****
Tom placed the exquisite inlaid timber box on the table between them. “So you know how to play?” he asked.
“Yes I know how to play. I play quite well actually.” The challenge in her violet eyes was blatant and he chuckled quietly to himself at her competitive spirit continually leaping unbidden to the fore.
“Another of your talents. You seem to have several that you have mastered quite well.” He cocked his eyebrow knowing full well the effect it would have on her, but she mastered the blush that crept above the open neck of her shirt. “Excellent. If you don’t need to concentrate too hard, we’ll play while we talk.” He nodded to Will, and he and Bonnie cleared the remains of the meal and wandered off together into the kitchen.
Tom patted bench seat next to him knowing she would decline his invitation.
“Perhaps, later.”
He heard her words catch in her throat.
So competitive that she’d put winning first. He nodded storing that information for future use. “I must warn you I haven’t played for a long time. Finding a partner on the road is difficult.”
“Then prepare for defeat.” Her incredible eyes challenged him and he allowed a slow grin to spread across his face.
“I can handle defeat by a woman; especially if it may be beneficial.” His innuendo hung in the air and she looked around with a furtive glance to see if anyone had heard their bantering. Did she understand the connotations of his comment? One quick look at the raised color in her cheeks answered his question. Oh, this woman was such a mass of contradictions and such a pleasure. He set out the carefully crafted pieces on the patterned board.
“Your move.”
Just as he would have expected, Lily moved her pawn to the centre of the board. He mirrored her move.
He watched with amusement as she confidently picked up the white knight and moved it forward, immediately challenging him.
“Game on,” he rubbed his hands together and looked into the violet eyes continuing to defy him. Picking up his knight he called her bluff.
“May I ask you something?” He looked up startled by her comment. Her forehead was creased and he could see a shadow of uncertainty marring her very kissable mouth.
“Of course, anything.” He steepled his fingers and held her gaze. The sudden change in her mood fascinated him, especially coupled with the flash of insecurity in her expression.
“Can you promise me that Bonnie and I will not be harmed while we are under your–” her pause confused him,“–protection?”
And then a surge of annoyance ran through him. “Why in God’s name would you ask that?” It was ludicrous and totally against his principles. He couldn’t imagine ever wishing to harm one hair on her glorious head. “As I said right at the beginning, you are worth more to us as ransom. Why would I harm you or Bonnie for that matter?”
He scrutinized her pale face. Surely she wasn’t frightened of him? The thought struck him with horror as he remembered her plaintive complaint last night. “I will guarantee your safety until I return you to your father.”
“And Bonnie’s?”
“Of course. Your father’s man will be at The Settler’s Arms in a matter of days.”
“I wish I was so sure. My father’s actions will depend greatly on the amount of money he can raise, which won’t be much, and on the depth of the bottle of brandy that is his constant companion.”
She bent forward and captured his pawn, the color returning to her face.
“We’ll have to wait and see, wait until we get to The Settler’s Arms,” he said tossing aside her undoubted exaggeration. No one would leave their daughter in the hands of a bunch of scurrilous bushrangers; even if Dungarven couldn’t raise the money, surely he’d send George to negotiate. He moved his knight and retaliated. Her grunt of acknowledgement gave him no clue about her thoughts on the matter and her next question came like a bullet out of the blue.
“Why did you leave England?”
He watched as she dropped the pawn into place and remembered the hesitant tone in her voice when she’d asked the same question at Lizard Rock. He raised his eyebrow wanting to keep her guessing; maybe it was a good idea to keep her on her toes.
“I didn’t leave of my own choosing, I assure you.” He could see her mind racing as he moved his knight to safety; knowing she was ticking off the possibilities: gambling debts like her father, a scandal, or a broken romance.
‘Did you kill someone?”
“No.”
She exhaled and moved her bishop. “Check.”
“How in God’s name did you do that?”
“You mean how did I learn to play chess like a man?”
He could almost feel the sting of the verbal slap as she pushed the bench back from the table.
“The Queen’s Gambit.” She laughed and her demeanor changed as quickly as the clouds scudding across the sky. “You play well. I just took advantage of your mistakes. Shall we finish the game?”
“What mistakes? Show me.”
She faced him across the table. “Maybe later.”
He stood up, raising his chin. “Next time I’ll beat you.”
“Next time. So there’s going to be a next time, is there?” she questioned. Her gaze slid to the horses in the clearing yard ahead of them.
Surely she wasn’t planning another escape run after their ride this morning? He had thought they’d forged a bond that would keep her safe until they reached The Settler’s Arms at least. “Forget it. You wouldn’t get a hundred yards head start before we rode you down.”
The silence stretched painfully taut in the fading afternoon light. “I assure you no harm will come to you or Bonnie while you are under my protection. Once we hear from your father I will return you to your family and we will go our separate ways.”
“But what about the horses?”
Did she simply not understand the predicament she was in?
No matter whether her father paid the ransom or not he had every intention of gaining something from the whole debacle. “The horses are ours. I intend to keep them.” He stood. Despite her height he could see the top of her head, the twisted curls tangled and disheveled from their ride. He pushed aside the desire to run his fingers through the silken strands and placed his hands onto his hips.
“I need to get the horses to Sydney. They have to reach the ship in time…”
His temper snapped. “You need to do nothing other than remain under my protection until I hand you over to your father.” His fist
hit the table scattering the chess pieces like fallen soldiers. “I am making the decisions. Not you.”
The responding stamp of Lily’s foot caused the veranda to creak and groan as she stomped down the steps toward the stable.
Tom turned back to the chessboard slowly picking up the pieces and stacking them side by side in the velvet lined box ready for their next confrontation.
****
She wouldn’t be playing chess with him again or anything else. Not if she had her way. She suddenly wanted to be free of him. Free to do what she originally set out to do. She kicked at the small stones on the dusty track, walking along the length of the fence line. What chance did she have of talking him into anything? Buckley’s or none if his behavior over the chessboard was anything to go by. She could do nothing but bide her time and see what happened when the time was up.
And bide her time she did, but she stayed well away from temptation and Tom respected her distance. The days took on a gentle routine that revolved around the horses, Old Pete’s gastronomic delights and the dubious truce they’d managed to establish. But there were no more clandestine rides, no more intimate candlelit dinners. She’d given up on what she now knew was her ridiculous idea to seduce him. No matter how much they might fight it, the spark of attraction continued to flame between them of its own accord but by some unspoken mutual agreement neither of them acted upon it. It was if life and love were in limbo until the results of the ransom demand were known.
****
“Bonnie?” Lily reached for the hammock slung between the two trees and swayed it gently. Bonnie’s face was hidden by an old cabbage palm hat and one hand dangled languorously over the side of the hammock, her fingers gently tracing the blades of grass as the hammock swung slowly to and fro.
“Hmm?”
“What do you think I should do?”
