“Pardon. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jared said. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” She drew her slightly trembling hands back through her hair, smoothing it away from her forehead. “You did startle me. My fault, though. I fear my mind was elsewhere.”
“May I help?” His dark brows pulled together in a frown. One corner of his mustache twitched.
She held back a laugh. Her thoughts had surprised her and taken her into dark territory. Not Jared’s fault at all, but he certainly appeared guilty, as if he’d done something to displease her.
“If you’ll take the leftover stew from the icebox, I think the stove is hot enough. I’ll set the table.”
She watched as he crouched and removed the pot of stew. “I’m glad we didn’t eat it all last night. It was last night, wasn’t it? I’m afraid I’ve lost track of time. Honestly, it feels like it was a week ago.” Dios, why must she babble so?
“Yes. Early yesterday evening.” He set the pot on the stove plate. “We had rather a late evening.” This time, the corner of his mouth twisted upward in a wry smile.
Grinning up at him, Talia removed the lid and stirred the stew with a large wooden spoon. “And it appears as if we might be in for another one.”
“Sounds as if the lady has something in mind—something besides digging another trench in the snow.” He eased behind her, spanning her waist with his large hands while he placed soft kisses up and down the side of her neck. “I will be happy to oblige but won’t presume to know the intricacies of female desires.”
She smiled to herself and kept stirring the stew. “And here I have the singular notion that you’re very aware of a woman’s desires—especially those of this particular woman.” With that, she turned to face him, snaking her arms around his waist, their bodies now so close she could feel his cock harden against her belly. “It seems a man’s desires are much more evident and more difficult to hide.”
“So it would seem.” She felt him shudder. Was he rocked by lust as she was? Was the weakness in her legs the result of longing or the fact she hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours? She sagged against him, her head beginning to spin. Black splotches marred her vision.
“Talia!” Alarmed by her sudden pale face and collapse, Jared caught her before she fell. “Talia…” He scooped her up, carried her across the kitchen and settled her gently onto one of the rugged wood chairs.
Her lids fluttered, then opened wide as she gazed around the kitchen. “What happened?”
“You swooned.”
“Don’t be absurd.” She raised her chin like a haughty society grande dame. “I’m not some silly girl from the East. I never swoon.”
His mouth twitched with a smile. “Maybe not, but you did all the same.” He crossed the kitchen to the cookstove. “You have to eat. Now.”
She tried to rise, but faltered and sat back with a sigh.
Damned stubborn woman. “Just sit. I can dish up a bowl of stew.” He grabbed two bowls from the table, then took them back to the stove where the thick, meaty stew was beginning to bubble. His mouth watered. Ignoring his hunger, he removed the pot from the fire and set it aside.
She nodded, then pointed. “There’s a loaf of bread in the keeper. It only needs to be sliced.”
“One thing at a time.” He held up both hands. “I only have two of these.”
Talia laughed. “Men.”
He scrambled to the bread-keeper and pulled out a fragrant loaf. “Knife? Butter?”
She nodded toward a table along the side of the kitchen. “Blue round crock…the one with a lid. Knives are kept in a wooden block,” she said, waving with an elegant gesture, “in that drawer.”
He snatched the butter-keeper with one hand and opened the knife drawer with the other. He set the crock on the table in front of Talia, then cut her a thick slice of bread. “Eat that while I dish up your stew.” Damn. His stomach felt so empty it had to be collapsed on itself.
Mouth watering, he watched while she slathered butter on the bread. She stuffed a portion in her mouth, making a mewing noise of satisfaction.
“You—eat,” she said, pointing at him. Though her words were muffled due to her mouthful of bread, her intention was clear.
“Right.” He turned and quickly ladled stew into the two bowls, then pulled out a chair and sat. He took a quick bite and burned his tongue. No matter. Hunger definitely enhanced the flavor. “Delicious,” he muttered, trying to keep from wolfing down the spicy stew. The bread was fresh, its texture thick, and the taste of yeast overwhelmed him. God. Almost starved and didn’t know it. He could’ve eaten the entire loaf himself, not to mention the entire pot of stew.
While he was stuffing his face, he watched Talia eat. Once she’d consumed half a slice of bread, she recovered her ladylike manners, and while it was obvious she was enjoying her first meal in twenty-four hours, she hadn’t descended to eating like a pig at the trough as he had.
Once he’d finished his second bowl of stew, he groaned and pushed back from the table. “Sorry. Once I started, I couldn’t stop.”
Dark eyes glowing, she smiled, showing a deep dimple on one side of her beautiful face. How had he not noticed that sweet dip before?
“I like to see a man enjoy his dinner. Even such simple fare as this.”
“I’ve not enjoyed any meal as much as this one, not in any fine dining room in all of New York City.”
“You have Sarita to think for our wonderful meal.” Her expression grew cloudy. “Do you think she made it home in time?” Her voice caught. “I can’t bear to think of her lying out there, buried somewhere in the snowstorm. Frozen like I almost…”
He caught her hand and held it to his lips. “I’m sure she made it to shelter.” A small lie to comfort Talia, but not impossible. “Or she would’ve turned back.”
Her luminous gaze pierced his heart. “Do you really think so?”
“I do.” At best, the older woman had a fifty-fifty chance of making it a half mile in one of the worst snowstorms he’d ever seen. Being he was a gambler at heart, he’d want better odds if he was going to place a bet on the woman’s survival. He rose from his chair and walked around the well-scrubbed pine table to where Talia sat. Pulling her to her feet, he enfolded her in his arms, then rested his head on hers. He emitted a bark of laughter. “You have straw in your hair.” He removed it gently and held it out so she could see.
She bit her full bottom lip and giggled. “I can’t imagine where I must’ve picked that up. Can you?”
“No. Not at all. But if you’re not careful, someone will see it and think you’re a woman of loose morals who tumbles in the hay with regularity.”
“I’m shocked. No one would believe it of me. Certainly not any of the strumpets frequented by dear old Reginald.”
Without thinking, they stood and left the warmth of the cozy kitchen, then headed down a much cooler hallway. “Cannot understand why your late husband would require their services. Not with a woman like you in his bed.”
“I didn’t understand it either, but he preferred others to me. Not that I found him particularly desirable.”
“What was he like, this husband of yours?”
“He was about your height but much heavier through the middle. Not from muscle but from too many rich dinners. Quite imposing. He wore an air of superiority like a fine suit of clothes. It was never more evident than when he came in contact with the locals, especially me. I was merely the Mexican slut he married as part of the bargain to gain my family’s land and cattle.”
Jared swore under his breath, pulling her lush body closer, inhaling her unique scent. “There’s no explaining fools,” he said. “You’re a beautiful and passionate woman. Any man with brains enough to keep his head from collapsing would count himself fortunate beyond words to have a woman like you.” Damnation. What was he saying? While every word was true, he needn’t have made it sound like a declaration of love. His peripatetic life wasn’t suitable for a wife. Not
that he’d ever considered marriage…with anyone.
“Then you, sir, are obviously a man of great intelligence—nay, wisdom.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I know a hell of a woman when I see one.” And the thought of digging into the death of her thankless husband appealed less and less with each passing second. The true crime was neglecting Talia and treating her with anything less than respect.
They reached the door to her bedchamber. She leaned against the doorjamb and gazed up at him. “I’ll adjust the fire,” he said, “and wish you good evening.”
The tiniest of frowns flitted across her face, followed by a smug grin. “Yes and no.”
“What?” No, he wasn’t confused, but neither did he expect the lady to share her body and bed with him for a second night. No matter how much he desired her. No matter how hard his cock.
She eased into her room. “Yes, bank the fire, but you’re not going anywhere,” she said with a haughty glance over her shoulder.
What else could he do? He followed. “I confess I hoped you wouldn’t send me away.”
“We have to conserve the firewood—you said as much yourself.” She dimpled at him again, adding a sweet expression of innocence to her beautiful face. “Stands to reason we’ll be warmer sleeping together.”
“You make a convincing argument.” He knelt in front of the fire, using the poker to turn over one of the mesquite logs for better burning.
“Even if we don’t sleep much?” Her suggestive tone caused his head to turn. Lord, she was unbuttoning her shirt.
His mouth grew dry. “Not a half hour ago, you nearly passed out from lack of food and rest.”
She shrugged off the two layers of flannel, leaving her upper body clad only in the fine woolen underwear which outlined her lush breasts and hard nipples. “I feel quite refreshed.”
“As do I.” He rose and closed the distance between them. He cupped her full breasts through the wool. Her nipples were already tightened into small pearls. She reached down and grabbed the hem of the garment and whipped it over her head, exposing the beauty of her breasts to his gaze. He caressed her silken skin, circling the dark areolas with his thumbs. Already his prick felt as if it might burst at the slightest touch.
He dipped his head to lick one of the dark nubs, then teased it with a gentle rake of his teeth.
Arching back and thrusting her breasts forward, she gasped, “Sí, more.” He picked her up and carried her to the bed. Pulling back the counterpane, he laid her gently on the bed. She reached to unbutton her denim trousers. Always the gentleman, he offered his assistance by helping her wiggle out of them, then tossed them aside.
Next came her woolen drawers. Slowly sliding them from under her round bottom, then down her long shapely legs, he sucked in a breath when he revealed the dark patch at the apex of her thighs. Talia was more beautiful than any woman he’d ever had. And he’d had more than a few. From hurried caresses with society debutants to a scandalous liaison with a stage actress and a soiled dove or two, he’d never lacked for female companionship. But it had been months since his last opportunity. Perhaps that was why his response to Talia was so strong.
She squirmed up toward the head of the bed and assumed a seductive position. Gazing up at him, her smoldering eyes caught the glow of the fire. “You’re next. In the stable, all I could do was feel your body. Now, I want to see all of you.” Smiling, she patted the bed beside her.
He nodded, quickly shucking his clothing until the garments lay in a pile at his feet. With a shiver as the room’s cold air hit his skin, he jumped into the bed and snatched up the counterpane. “It’s cold in here.”
“Not for long,” she said, smiling, her voice rich with the promise of what was to come. As she scooted close to him, the heat of her breasts warmed his chest. One of her legs entwined with his, bringing the damp heat of her pussy to writhe against his thigh. God.
“You are quite beautiful. ‘Muy handsome’, as Sarita would say.”
“Men aren’t beautiful.” He shook his head. “Our bodies are nothing compared to the softness and fragrance of a woman’s. You are beautiful, Talia. I’m merely the lucky man with whom you’ve chosen to share that loveliness.” Damnation. He had a job to do, and here he was, sounding more like a poet than a Pinkerton.
Careful, you’re in danger of losing yourself in the depths of her eyes.
With a smile of seeming satisfaction, she arched her neck, offering him the temptation to sample her soft skin. What else could he do? He planted kisses along the slender column, then nibbled her ear and finished with a quick nip of the tender lobe. Wisps of silken tresses lay in strands on her neck. He reached to loosen her hair, and it fell in a dark mass of waves on her pillow.
“I think you like using your teeth on me,” she murmured. “I like it too.” She nipped his ear, certainly harder than he had hers.
“Ouch. Careful or I’ll leave my mark on you,” he said.
“You’ve already left your mark on me. I’ll never be the same.”
He fastened his mouth on her neck and sucked until a red love bite was visible. “Now you’re marked. And your mine.” For now, anyway.
Talia laughed. “That works both ways.” She rolled until she was on top of him. His curiosity about what she would do next was quickly answered. She leaned forward and kissed his nipple. He’d never considered how sensitive they were until she fastened on to one and sucked.
He groaned from the intensity of sensation that arrowed straight to his cock. “There, now you’re marked.” This time, she giggled and left a trail of kisses from his chest down to his abdomen. Raising her head, she gazed down at him. “But I think I’d rather mark you somewhere else.”
Jared’s cock was already standing at attention and couldn’t possibly get any harder. Or so he thought. He craved her touch and a sweet release. He felt the wet warmth of her tongue flicking the head of his dick.
Startled, he sucked in a breath. Then she took him inside her mouth, her tongue swirling around the head, licking him. Bobbing her head over his staff, she sucked.
Dear God. Each of her movements brought him excruciating pleasure. His body heated; his balls throbbed until they contracted. He threw his head back and groaned, his climax blasting through his entire body. His hips arching, he drove helplessly into her mouth as come spurted from his cock.
Unbelievably, she took all of him, even swallowing his emissions. He gasped for air, trying to apologize. “Sorry. No time. Didn’t mean…”
She gazed up at him from her position between his thighs. “I meant for that to happen. Tonight was about pleasuring you.”
“Not like I wasn’t pleasured before. Come here.” He reached under her arms and pulled her up to his chest. “That was unbelievable.” Indeed, she gave head as if she’d done it for a living. Doubts about her crept unwanted into his mind.
“Reginald…” Her cheeks darkened, and she averted her gaze as if suddenly embarrassed. “That’s what he preferred…”
“But gave no thought to your pleasure?” The bastard.
She shook her head, her dark hair shining like silk in the firelight. “No. I told you, to him I was a Mexican whore, even though I was a virgin when we married. After the first night, he never touched me that way again.”
Ashamed for doubting her, Jared gently brushed back the hair from her forehead. “Such a waste,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. How any man reared in a genteel, upper-class East Coast family could treat any woman in such an ungentlemanly manner, especially this one, was a mystery.
She gazed at him earnestly, her bottom lip trembling. How could he not read the truth in those sad eyes?
“You’ll think less of me,” she said with a sigh, “but I’ll risk telling you this anyway.”
“Go on.” He kissed the sweet spot below her ear and felt his cock begin to stir.
“At the burial, I swore on his very grave I would bed the first clean and available man I ran across.”
Yes, he could imagine her doing that very thing. “Lucky me.” He cupped both breasts and kissed them. Did she have any idea of the effect she had on him? Her woman’s scent alone was driving him crazy. Let her talk. He wanted to prolong every moment he spent with her.
“No.” She caressed his cheek. “I am the fortunate one. Not only have you been thoughtful about my—uh, womanly needs”—she grinned, showing that single deep dimple again—“you saved my life. I can’t imagine what hell going through this snowstorm would be without you.”
He stopped the breast play and leveled his gaze at her. Keeping his tone matter-of-fact, he said, “You strike me as a very capable woman, Talia. You would’ve survived.” Though given her propensity for rash action, he wasn’t sure he believed his own words.
“Sí, but it wouldn’t have been nearly so interesting or enjoyable.” She wriggled against his cock.
Holding back a groan of pleasure, he amended his earlier statement through gritted teeth. “That is, you would’ve survived, as long as you stayed in the ranch house.”
“But I wouldn’t have. I would’ve seen after my mare, and I wouldn’t let the cow suffer, either.” She smiled down at him as she moved her pelvis sensuously against his.
It was time for him to surrender. She wasn’t going to. “Then it’s true. I came along at the right time; otherwise, you would’ve certainly died.”
“But you did, and I did not.” Talia dipped her head, opening her full lips for an assault on his mouth. Her tongue battled with his while she slipped her hand between their bodies and found his cock.
Startled by her bold handling, he sucked in a quick breath and tried to rein in the impulse to let go. “I’ve never known anyone like you.” Indeed, never had any woman left him wanting more and more of her love. And no woman had ever made him consider spending a lifetime in her arms. “God, woman, you’re killing me.”
Chapter Ten
Natalia threw her head back and laughed. “That wouldn’t serve any useful purpose, now would it?” Without waiting for a reply, she straddled him. His cock was already hard again. Rubbing the head up and down her wet slit, she luxuriated in the sweet sensations the mere touch of it sent curling through her body.
Taming Talia Page 8
