His Reluctant Bodyguard

by Loucinda McGary

  Once she’d washed off the sweat and grime of the day, she drained the tub and put her clothes back on. When she re-entered into the kitchen, Rip had his shirt off and Mama Simone’s smelly goo spread all across his torso. The two of them seemed to be engaged in a low but intense conversation, but they stopped talking as soon as Avery appeared. Goosebumps rose on her arms at the thought of the secrets they weren’t telling her, but she put on a false face of cheerful ignorance.

  “Thank you, Mama Simone. I feel a lot better.” But she was pretty sure the old woman’s knowing dark eyes saw right through her.

  “Your turn now, mon cher.” She nodded at Rip, who rose to his feet. She handed him the stone container. “Put the rest of the potion in your bath water and soak a good long time.”

  Rip limped out of the kitchen without meeting Avery’s gaze. His furtive behavior only increased her uneasiness.

  Mama Simone studied her face for a long silent moment before she wiped her hands on another tea towel. “You look tired, girl. You need to sleep. Rip says you won’t share the same bed as him.” Avery bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out in protest, ready to strangle Rip for revealing that personal tidbit. Meanwhile the old woman chuckled again. “Good for you! I got a little cot on the back porch in case I need to watch a patient over night.”

  She inclined her head in a ‘follow me’ gesture and Avery complied nervously. The porch turned out to be a screened room with an iron day bed. Insects buzzed and chirped in the surrounding darkness, the sound oddly comforting to Avery.

  Pulling back the coverlet on the bed, Mama Simone patted the mattress for her to sit. “You need a cup of chamomile tea to help you sleep?” Sitting, Avery shook her head. “You done good rescuing our Rip. He’s strong, you’re brave. You’ll both be fine.”

  Avery wanted to demand how she knew, ask what would happen next, how she and Rip would get off Benezet alive… But Mama Simone had already turned and opened the connecting door. Deciding to ask later, Avery stretched out and was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  The wind woke her up several hours later. The insects had grown quiet, or perhaps she just couldn’t hear them over the rattling and moaning of the trees. She pulled the coverlet up under her chin as the wind whistled through the screens. Her eyes had just adjusted to the darkness when the light near the door switched on.

  “You awake, girl?” Mama Simone’s raspy voice cut through the sound. “We gotta go before this storm hits.”

  Avery sat up and slipped on her shoes. She’d draped her island skirt and head-wrap across the foot of the bed, and she folded them over her arm rather than put them on. Hitching her bag over her shoulder, she followed Mama Simone into the house, but made a pit stop in the bathroom on her way to the kitchen. After pulling her hair into a ponytail and splashing water on her face, she steeled her spine and strode out to face whatever was in store next.

  Much to her surprise, a plate of biscuits and jam were what awaited her. Rip met her gaze, swallowed a substantial bite and flashed a hint of a smile — the first she’d seen since he’d left Valiant. Though still ringed with a purple bruise, his eye was no longer swollen and the gash on his cheek was scabbed over.

  “Drink your tea and have a biscuit,” Mama Simone instructed.

  A large wicker basket sat on the kitchen counter and she bustled about placing things in it. Avery had no sooner smeared jam on one of the biscuits than the old woman scooped up those that remained, wrapped them in a cloth and packed them in the container.

  “Hurry now,” she urged. “It’ll be raining soon.”

  Avery looked out the window, but it was too dark for her to see anything.

  “Remember that tropical we saw the other night on the TV?” Rip wiped his hands and dusted off the front of his shirt. “Looks like it’s headed for Benezet.”

  With a groan of dismay, Avery bolted her biscuit and washed it down with a sip of tea, which felt just warm enough to be soothing.

  Mama Simone gave one of her witchy laughs and muttered under her breath, “A hurricane helped Jean Jacques become ruler. Now one’s gonna unseat him.” Then she patted Rip on the shoulder. “You carry the basket, mon cher.” She handed Avery a gallon jug of water and two rolled mats. “And you bring these, cheri.”

  Taking one final gulp of tea, Avery followed the old woman and Rip to the front door. When they stepped out the door, the wind almost tore the mats out of Avery’s hand. She shoved them as far as she could into her bag and slipped the strap over her head to hold it more securely. Mama Simone secured the flapping screen door with a board that slid all the way across it.

  As they descended the hill, the light the old woman carried swung wildly, and the gusty wind almost blew her off the path. Avery would have offered to help, but she was having a hard time herself. Even Rip didn’t seem that steady, but she couldn’t tell if that was because of the wind, his weakened condition, or both. The sound made talking impossible.

  Rather than go down onto the beach where waves crashed higher and higher, they traversed the side of the hill, fighting the buffeting blasts with every step. After struggling along for a quarter mile, Mama Simone led them down, but to a rocky outcropping, not the pebbly beach.

  “Are we going to the pirate cave?” Rip shouted, and the old woman nodded vigorously, holding the lantern high as spray from the nearby waves filled the air.

  While visions of blood-thirsty brigands flashed through Avery’s mind, the three of them picked their way carefully among large boulders, staying close together to utilize the light. Fortunately, the rocks blocked most of the wind.

  Mama Simone paused to catch her breath and gave Rip a satisfied smile. “So you do remember.”

  Rip flashed his familiar grin. “I always thought I’d find treasure, but I never did.”

  “Maybe you didn’t look in the right place,” the old woman insisted. She rounded an enormous rock the size of a refrigerator and to Avery’s surprise, the lantern revealed an oval opening. Avery’s pulse fluttered at the idea of crawling into a dark cave, but Rip rushed forward eagerly, so she bit her lower lip and followed him. Once inside, she could see the space spreading out into a huge cavern with a smooth sandy floor and a dark stone ceiling at least twenty feet over her head. In spite of being out of the wild weather, Avery shivered.

  “Follow me,” Mama Simone said, patting her arm. “There’s another chamber.”

  The garish lantern light accentuated Rip’s startled expression. “Another? You’re kidding me!”

  The old woman gave a full-blown laugh as she led the way to a side wall littered with a cascade of broken rocks. With careful deliberation she picked her way over the tops of a dozen stones. As Avery studied them, she noticed the rocks Mama Simone walked on were all relatively flat and made a zigzagging path up the wall. When the woman reached the last flat rock, she pushed a round-shaped boulder aside to reveal a smooth opening.

  “I’m surprised you never discovered this, mon cher.” The old woman’s tone sounded teasing as she disappeared into the hole.

  “I can’t believe it,” Rip muttered as he scrunched low to get inside.

  Right on his heels, Avery did the same and found herself inside a chamber roughly the same size as Mama Simone’s kitchen. The walls, floor, and ceiling were solid rock and showed signs of being shaped by chisels. A rusty iron holder near the entrance held the remnants of a wooden torch.

  Setting her lantern on the floor, the old woman spread her arms. “It ain’t the only place smugglers used on Benezet, but it’s the best hid. You’ll be safe enough here, I ‘spect, from the weather and anything else.”

  Putting the large basket near the light, Rip slowly twirled around in the middle of the floor, staring in slack-jawed wonder. “I just can’t believe it.”

  Looking Avery in the eye, Mama Simone nodded at the light. “That battery’s only good for seven or eight hours.” Then she pulled a finger-sized pen light from her pocket and turned toward the entrance
.

  “Wait!” Sudden panic seized Avery, and she reached for the old woman’s arm. “You aren’t going back out in the storm?”

  “Got to,” Mama Simone replied. “Me and the other Sage Femmes got work to do.” Rip also stopped short and tried to protest, but she gave him a severe, quelling look. “Hush now, and do what I tell you. Stay here until me or Luc comes for you. This day will change the future for Benezet.”

  Fear clutched at Avery’s throat as she realized they’d be left in a dark cave with a hurricane about to hit. Not too much bothered her, but she wasn’t fond of storms. Onboard ship, they’d always been able to avoid dangerous weather. Sitting here waiting was not at all to her liking. But Mama Simone had already ducked out into the larger cavern.

  Dropping the jug of water, Avery rushed over and stuck her head out the entrance. She could barely distinguish the tiny bobbing light, but called out anyway. “When will you be back?”

  “Soon.” The old woman’s voice sounded reedy and far away, and her pen light faded into the vast darkness of the big cavern.

  After everything she’d been through in the past twenty-four hours, this should have been just one more obstacle, but Avery felt swamped with despair. And oh, so weary. Being strong and resourceful for so long had completely done her in. How much more could she take?

  Would this nightmare never end?

  Like a marionette whose strings had been snipped, Avery sank to the cool stone and covered her face with her hands.

  Chapter 8

  Avery never cried. Rip had always admired that about her. During those grueling days of rehab, when the two of them had pushed themselves and each other through the pain and frustration of moving their injured muscles, Avery had never shed a tear.

  As he watched her crumple to the floor and hold her head in her hands, Rip stood in stunned silence for a full minute. Of all the terrible and surprising things that had happened, the sight of Avery moved to tears left him the most shaken. Forcing his leaden feet to move, he went down on his knees behind her and gathered her into his arms. She wasn’t sobbing, he realized, but trembling.

  She turned and curled against him, tucking her head beneath his chin. He’d dreamed of holding her since the moment she’d walked into the Wilderness Suite, sassy and even more beautiful than he remembered. Gritting his teeth against the pain of his bruised and battered limbs and body, he held her anyway, brushing his lips lightly across the top of her head. When she didn’t move, he skimmed another kiss over her hair. However, this time, his lips moved down to her temple and he kissed a light trail down her face to her jaw, wincing a bit when his busted lip throbbed.

  With a little sigh, Avery looked into his eyes and whispered, “Oh, Rip. I was so afraid… afraid I’d lost you.”

  Her anxious words stirred primitive feelings within him. A dozen hours ago, he’d doubted he would ever see her again. Even now, they were a long way from safe, and the reality of their precarious situation only fueled Rip’s desire to keep her close, possess her completely

  “You didn’t. You won’t,” he assured. “I love you, Avery, and I know you love me too, or you wouldn’t have come after me.”

  Avery sighed again and kissed him full on the mouth. Then she squirmed her way more fully onto his lap. Her incredible legs stretched out on each side, and her hot core pressed against the erection growing inside his loose-fitting pants. He could feel the sizzling heat even through the layers of their clothes.

  A wave of desire washed over Rip as her silky tongue glided between his lips and her hands moved up to link behind his neck. In spite of his sore lip, he explored the velvety recesses of her mouth, and pulled her tighter against his chest, so that her breasts rubbed against him.

  Blood roared hot and fast through his veins as his eagerness to touch her everywhere overcame him. His hands skated down her back and worked their way under her blouse. The smooth skin of her back felt as soothing as silk against his battered and bruised fingers.

  Avery gasped, then made a throaty sound of pleasure. But when she gripped his shoulders, an agonizing spear of pain shot down one arm and wrung a groan from his throat.

  Panting, she pulled back and studied his face, guilt plainly written on hers. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “You aren’t hurting me.” Rip quickly denied, but she twisted out of his arms, her knee hitting a particularly tender spot on his ribs. He sucked in his breath sharply. “The bruises are.”

  Of all the miserable luck! The one woman he’d wanted for years and never thought to have was in his arms, and he was too beat-up to enjoy it. However, Avery wasn’t giving up so easily.

  “I’d say some parts of your flesh are more willing that other parts,” she murmured, eying the distinctive bulge in his lap.

  Her fingers loosed the drawstring on his pants, and dipped inside, freeing his erection. The moan that emerged from Rip’s throat was pure need as Avery’s hand caressed his hard length. She bent low over him, and her tongue followed the path of her fingers, robbing him of movement, thought, breath…

  This was why they called orgasm ‘the little death.’ Not touching her too was killing him. When she sucked the tip of his cock into her mouth, Rip knew for certain he would die in the next moment.

  “Stop, Avery. Please,” he gasped through the red-hot haze clouding his brain.

  Slowly, she straightened, her blue eyes wide with confusion. “You don’t like— “

  “God no! I just—I want all of you, not just your mouth.” Panting, he shifted away, readjusted his clothes and regaining some semblance of control. “I want our first time to be as good for you as for me.”

  He couldn’t believe he sounded like such a starry-eyed romantic, but what he felt for Avery was different than anything he’d ever experienced.

  “You really mean it?” she asked, still looking a bit dazed.

  “I really do.” Heaven help him, he did. ” We’ve waited ten years, what’s another day or two?”

  Shaking her head, Avery muttered, “I suppose you’re right. But are you sure that beating didn’t give you brain damage?”

  “Possibly,” Rip admitted, relieved that she was teasing him.

  From outside the howl of the wind permeated their sanctuary, a clear indication that the storm was increasing in intensity. To distract himself, Rip pulled the woven mats out of Avery’s bag and spread them on the floor near the big basket he had lugged all the way to the cave.

  As she watched him, Avery rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “What did Mama Simone mean about a hurricane bringing your uncle to power and now one would unseat him?”

  “When my father and uncle began gathering their supporters, the French sent a warship to subdue them. But a hurricane prevented the ship from landing until they had already seized power.” He knelt on the mat and patted the spot beside him as he unfastened the basket. “Wanna see what’s in here?”

  Sitting a short distance away, she shrugged. “With all Mama Simone’s talk of spells and potions, I’m not too sure I do.”

  “Aw, sure you do,” Rip contradicted. He threw back the lid and rummaged inside.

  Avery inched closer. “See anything interesting?”

  “Mostly food.” After removing two plastic plates and the cloth wrapped biscuits, he moved away. “See for yourself.”

  Hesitantly, she peeked over the rim. “Holy moly! How long does she think we’ll be here? There’s almost as much as Valiant’s buffet.” She pulled out a square tin box and pried off the lid. “Yum, these cookies look good.”

  Reaching across, he snagged three of them. “Considering everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours, I think we need to eat dessert first.”

  “I agree.” She took a big bite from one and rolled her eyes in delight.

  Rip wolfed his down and reached for another, the buttery flavor suffusing his mouth. They weren’t much of a substitute for sex, but for now, they’d have to
do. They polished off the contents of the tin in about ten minutes.

  “Biscuits next?” Avery asked, setting the tin aside. “I think I saw a jar of jam in here.”

  Along with the jam, she also unpacked a hunk of cheese and several pieces of roasted chicken. Momentarily oblivious to the storm raging outside, the two of them ate until they couldn’t hold another bite.

  After they’d eaten themselves into a stupor, they’d stretched out on the mats for a nap with the basket between them. Avery could tell by the sound of Rip’s even, rhythmic breathing that he fell asleep almost immediately. However sleep eluded her. Thoughts spiraled and tumbled through her mind, increasing along with the wind and rain she could hear whipping through the rocks.

  She fumbled for the lantern and crawled through the dark on her knees to the opening to the larger cavern. The wind still howled outside, and after she turned on the light and held it outside, she could make out the floor of the big cave. Water had invaded and lapped at the rocks below their hidden lair. Though still six or seven feet below them, Avery hoped to heck it didn’t rise much higher. If the storm continued to drive the sea into the outer cave, they could be trapped and drown in their hideaway. Sorry she’d ventured to look, she shut off the lantern, crawled to her mat, and rolled herself into a tight ball, praying the storm would end soon.

  In spite of her fear, she had somehow managed to fall asleep, because enveloping warmth awakened her. Warmth and something heavy across her shoulders. Her eyes popped open and she could see the dim outline of Rip’s arm dangling over hers. He lay curled around her, only lightly touching her, except for his arm. Rather than pulling away, Avery savored the closeness. She hadn’t pursued a romantic relationship in a long time, by choice. Most of her previous relationships had left her feeling smothered. But being with Rip felt right in a way she had never experienced before.

  She had no way to judge how much time and passed, so she snuggled closer to Rip hoping to go back to sleep. After squeezing her eyes shut, she realized the cave had gone completely silent. Abruptly sitting up, she groped for the lantern and hit the switch. Beside her, Rip groaned and propped himself onto one elbow.