Taming Talia

by Marie-Nicole Ryan

  “No.” Talia gave a quick shake of her head. “It wouldn’t be safe. Not yet. Not at all.”

  Jared shouldered the firewood and deposited several logs into the basket beside the stove. He carried the rest to the bedroom, then limped back to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Surely he couldn’t muck up a simple meal.

  Natalia headed for the water closet. Freshening her appearance and getting rid of the stable smell would do a lot to improve her mood. After removing her odorous outer garments, she splashed cold water on her face. From Reginald’s chifforobe she pulled out a clean flannel shirt and a pair of denim trousers. They would do until the weather moderated. Then back to her bedroom, where she ran a brush through her hair, twisting it into a low knot on her neck and securing it with hairpins.

  Heading back to the kitchen, she inhaled the aromas of coffee and burnt bacon. Even so, her stomach growled and her mouth watered. No matter how bad Jared’s cooking, she was starved and wouldn’t say a word about his skills.

  “Now you sit,” she ordered. “I’ll pour the coffee and put the food on the table. It smells wonderful.”

  Jared snorted. “You must be starving. I have to warn you the bacon’s on the crisp side, but I managed to keep it from scorching completely by picking up the skillet and burning my hand instead.”

  “Oh no. Let me see.”

  He held out his hand, palm up. A blister had already formed. “It’s not so bad,” he said, wincing.

  “Ice.” Natalia turned, intending to scoop up some ice or snow from the courtyard.

  He snatched her wrist, stopping her forward movement. “Is your intention to pack my entire body in ice?”

  “Don’t be absurd.” She gave him a teasing smile. “Just the injured parts.”

  “All right. More ice. But how I’m going to get around with a burnt hand and a broken leg…” He shrugged, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

  “Never fear, Pinkerton.” She stroked his cheek. “I’ll see to your needs.”

  His dark brows rose. “To which needs might you be referring?”

  “Why, your health needs, of course. Speaking of which, it’s time for another dose of willow-bark tea.”

  He frowned, reminding her again of the little boy she’d watched over last night. “Nasty stuff. Won’t it ruin my appetite?”

  Laughing, she turned to go to the pantry. “Nothing’s going to ruin your appetite.” Not if she could help it. She located the second dose of the medicinal tea on the table where she’d left it to steep. Might as well prepare the next dose now.

  She returned. “Dose number two. Drink it all. And don’t complain.”

  He frowned, but took the cup, swallowed the contents, then grimaced. “Gah! Awful.”

  She set a cup of fresh coffee before him. “Wash it down with this.” Then she placed a plateful of scrambled eggs and bacon on the table. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  After sitting, she bit into a piece of burnt bacon and chewed the crunchy meat. Putting on her best smile, she said, “This is really good.”

  “Cut the crap, Talia. I know it’s bad. But I’ve eaten worse. At least the eggs turned out all right.”

  She nodded and quietly removed a piece of eggshell to the side of her place. “Sí, light and fluffy.” Truthfully the eggs were wonderful—bits of shell and all. But even a raw prairie dog would taste like heaven right now.

  “I admit it. I’m not much of a cook.” Jared waved a piece of bacon under her nose. “Tonight I’ll see to the animals, and you’ll cook.”

  Natalia straightened her back and gave him her most regal stare. “Really? Are you ordering me around in my own kitchen?”

  “Don’t think of it as my ordering you around. I know you hate that.”

  He thought he knew her so well after such a short acquaintance. Involuntarily, her chin jutted. “And just how should I think of it?”

  He calmly buttered a piece of bread, then said, “Think of it as the common-sense solution to our problems.”

  “Because I don’t want to see you injured further, I’m not using common sense? I think you have it backward.” She took in a deep breath, then let it out with a huff. “Am I merely being nonsensical, or is it that I’m just an emotional woman while you’re the logical male?”

  He stopped eating long enough to say, “You have me all wrong, Talia. My eyes tell me you’re about to drop in your tracks. I said it before and I’ll say it again. You need rest.”

  His beautiful eyes saw too much. Truthfully he was right about her needing rest. “I’ll rest today,” she said with a sigh, “but let us discuss it again this evening. A day’s rest will put me right. And another day with your leg elevated wouldn’t hurt you either.”

  His gray gaze from beneath thick, dark lashes was as warm as a summer’s afternoon. He gave her a wide, knowing grin. “Perhaps we could rest together?” Never breaking eye contact, he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip.

  Rest together indeed. She touched her lips with her napkin, hiding her smile. “I’m not sure we would find much rest in such a situation.”

  Letting out a hearty laugh, he set his coffee cup on the table. “Dear Talia, you overestimate my powers of recovery.”

  “I have seen evidence of your recuperative powers…” She paused for effect then continued, “On more than one occasion.”

  “Indeed. And I would hate to disappoint the señora with a less than satisfactory performance.” With that devilish little-boy grin, he crunched down on the last strip of bacon, cleaning his plate. “Gracias, Talia, for the food and the pleasure of your company. You’re a most gracious hostess.”

  Reaching across the table, he covered her hand with his large, calloused one. Her arm jerked, responding to the rush of heat from his simple gesture. His touch made her want to melt into his arms again. To feel the exhilaration of heightened senses while they rode to the brink and exploded into ecstasy. His skin against hers, each caress sending a curl of pleasure to her core. His hard cock driving into the recesses of her body.

  Her breathing grew ragged as the images flew through her mind.

  “Talia?”

  Jared’s concerned tone drew her back from her brief reverie. Biting her bottom lip, she regained her composure.

  “You were remembering our being together, weren’t you?” His tone, no longer concerned but instead soft and seductive, brought a smile to her mouth.

  “Sí,” she said with some hesitation. “You’re a wonderful lover.” Never would she have ever referred to sexual matters to Reginald. Such things “weren’t fit for breakfast conversation” was what he told her the one time she tried to speak of it. “Your touch brought it all back.”

  Still somewhat shy of talking about lovemaking, she rose from the table. “I’ll bring in more snow to heat. It won’t be enough for a true bath, but you can freshen up using Reginald’s shaving things.”

  Grinning, Jared rubbed his chin. “Yeah. Could use a shave. Wouldn’t want to rub a certain someone’s delicate parts the wrong way.”

  Heat suffused her neck and cheeks. She turned away to keep him from seeing her sudden embarrassment. No matter how natural their lovemaking was, talking about it so openly and away from the bedroom was too new an experience. Yet she found the prospect pleasurable.

  “No, we wouldn’t want that,” she finally managed to say. At the same time, she removed the lid from the large copper kettle. Rushing out into the courtyard with the kettle, she relished the cold. While the sun was beaming down and had already melted the ice and snow from the roof, it was still cold with the accumulation of waist-high drifts. A brisk wind from the south had picked up. Bueno. Maybe it would bring a brief spell of warmer weather before the long dark days of winter set in for good.

  Calm down, she told herself, as she knelt and rubbed a handful of snow on her face to cool her burning cheeks. She quickly filled the kettle with snow, piling it high, then rose. Sadly, if the weather improved enough, Jared would have no reason to stay.
As startling as her feelings for Jared were, she’d grown accustomed to having him at her side.

  When she turned and saw Jared standing in the doorway with a wide grin across his handsome face, she tucked her head and brushed past him.

  “What’s your hurry?” he drawled lazily.

  “Hurry? No hurry.” She shook her head. “Just wanted to get inside out of the cold.”

  “The kettle’s too heavy for you. Let me do it,” he said. Taking the kettle from her trembling hands, he then hobbled over to the cookstove and set it on a burner plate.

  Grateful, she nodded. Back inside the kitchen, it was warm compared to the courtyard. Or maybe the warmth resulted from Jared’s nearness and the heated desire roiling through her entire body. Desire so strong her very insides quivered.

  With a small sigh, she started to clear the breakfast dishes from the table, but Jared stopped her with a look. “No. Off to bed with you. I’ll clean up this mess, shave, and then I’ll join you.”

  Jared’s hand at the small of her back gently nudged her toward the bedroom. Truth be told, she was exhausted beyond anything she’d ever known. Too tired to resist, she relished the warmth of his touch. “Sí.”

  On their reaching her bedchamber, she shivered, then rubbed her arms. “It’s cooler in here.”

  He nodded. “Fire’s died down. I’ll stir it up after I get you into bed.”

  Permitting herself a small smile, she met his gaze. “I believe you have a habit of stirring things up. Isn’t that what happened the last time you put me to bed?”

  “Ma’am, who am I to disagree with such a purty lady,” he said, affecting a cowhand’s drawl. A seductive smile played about his lips. “If you say I stirred things up, then I surely accomplished what I set out to do.”

  She tucked her head, hiding a smile. After sitting on the bed, she tugged her boots off and yawned. She stretched and watched while Jared limped over to the fireplace, picked up the poker and stirred the fire into a blaze that took the chill from the room. Then he added more wood, ensuring her comfort while she rested.

  “Lie down. I’ll cover you up.” His tone was deep and thick with emotion or pain. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

  She lay down and snuggled into the warm coverlet he spread over her. His tenderness was so unexpected her throat ached. “You’re hurting, aren’t you? Have more of the whiskey. There’s another bottle of his best in Reginald’s bedchamber…the bottom drawer of his wardrobe. He never knew I was aware of his secret cache.”

  “I’ll find it.” He straightened and rubbed his chin. “But first, shut your eyes and forget about me. I’m a grown man. I can manage on my own long enough for you to get some sleep.”

  “You’re sure?” She pushed up on her elbow. “Don’t forget the next dose of willow-bark tea.” She shook her head. “No, never mind. I won’t sleep that long. I just need a quick nap.” Yawning, she rested her head on the pillow, closed her eyes and slid into sleep.

  Jared leaned over her body and smiled as he watched exhaustion claim her quicker than he’d thought possible. She’d had a grueling twenty-four hours, watching over him during his bout of fever. Between the chills and the night sweats, he’d sensed her comforting presence but lacked the energy to reassure her he was all right.

  A shrill whistle snapped him back to the present. The smaller kettle was boiling. Now he could shave and clean up a bit. He leaned on the cane and hobbled back to the kitchen. The remains of their breakfast had congealed on their plates. Oh well. He shrugged. Cleaning up the kitchen could wait.

  The sooner he shaved, the sooner he could snuggle beside Talia.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Mm,” Talia moaned, spooning deeper in the warm embrace of two strong arms. A hard cock poked her backside, and a warm hand insinuated itself between her legs. “I thought you were going to let me sleep awhile.” She let out a sigh of pure contentment.

  A deep chuckle emanated from her bed partner. “I did. You slept all day, like the dead. I didn’t have the heart to awaken you, so I shaved, had a wash, and then, when I couldn’t put it off any longer, I cleaned up the kitchen. A first for me, I assure you.”

  She sighed. “I’m sure it was. And now with nothing else to do, you decided to waken me and have your reward for good behavior.”

  “Ah, but the reward is all yours.” His fingers slipped in and out of her cleft.

  Her thighs tight against his hand, she squirmed, enjoying the intimacy of his every touch. “Very sure of your charms, aren’t you, sir?”

  “Did your little nap”—he rapidly flicked her clit and eased his cock between her legs—“erase your memory of our time together?”

  “Not at all.” She reached between her legs and grasped the large head of his cock, rubbing it in her juices and centering it as he thrust inside her. “While I slept, I even dreamt about our lovemaking.” Her inner walls stretched, then contracted as she met him stroke for stroke.

  Her heart swelled with emotion as he made love to her lying on their sides.

  He grasped her breasts, cupping them, then tweaking the nipples into tight pearls of sensation while he assaulted her neck with kisses. Her body burned, seemed to glow and arch toward the sky. Her voice raspy, she cried out his name while an explosion of the purest pleasure she’d ever known rocked through her body.

  He filled her core to the depths, his breath harsh and hot in her ear. His groan of release was low, long and hoarse. “Talia. Talia.” He moaned her name over and over.

  If only she could lie like this forever. If he would never leave her. What would life be like if she always had his arms around her, protecting her from the outside world? Unable to restrain it, she let a sigh of regret escape.

  Jared tenderly brushed the hair from her forehead. “What’s wrong?” He levered up onto one elbow.

  “Nothing.” Reluctant to move and sever the bond that made them one, she shook her head. “I’m so content. If we only—” She broke off, not wanting to make impossible demands and ruin the sensual spell of their lovemaking.

  “If we only what?”

  Yawning, she propped on one elbow and shook her hair loose. “Never mind. It was nothing.”

  “Tell me.” He wove his fingers through her hair, straightening the tangles. “You know your hair’s like silk,” he murmured.

  “How’s your leg?” she asked in an attempt to divert his attention. What would be the point of making her pathetic vulnerability so obvious? He would move on when the weather improved. And she might as well just get used to the idea.

  “Aches some.” His gaze locked with hers. “Don’t change the subject. What was the big sigh about?”

  “It wasn’t a big sigh.” Tossing her hair, she gave a furious huff. “Anyway, you’re making a mountain out of a—whatever!” She scooted away from him and felt the loss of their connection. It wasn’t a mere physical connection of the flesh but one of the spirit. At least that was how it seemed to her. For men, sexual congress was all about the physical. She’d learned that much from her not-so-dearly-departed spouse.

  Shivering, she swung her feet to the floor, then wrapped the coverlet around her body and rushed over to sit on the settee, closer to the fire.

  “No fair,” Jared said. “You took all the warmth with you.”

  Without turning, she heard the bed creak, and a second later felt the heat of his body behind her.

  “Come back to bed. Your feet will freeze on the cold tiles.”

  “I’m all right,” she said, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart and the heat. The heat that burned inside her, hotter than the fire blazing in the hearth. The need to lose herself in his embrace.

  “Then why are you sitting in front of the fire shivering?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, then gathered her so close to his chest she could feel his heart hammering in time with hers.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “What have I done?”

  His tenderness was too much to bear. Tears stung her
eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. Hurriedly, she blinked them away. Take control. “Nothing.” She inhaled and pasted on a satisfied smile, then turned to face him. “You’ve attended to my needs quite well. No woman could ask for a better lover.”

  At Talia’s words, Jared straightened. Stung—hell no—more than stung, he was damned insulted by her lack of sentiment. As if he were nothing more than a hired gigolo. After the way she’d cared for him, and he her, he expected more—a hell of a lot more. “Happy to be of service, Señora Montrose.”

  If he could’ve gotten on his horse and ridden out, this would be that moment. Anger roiled through him like heat off desert sand. He clenched his fists at his side. His chest rose and fell as he sucked in the cold air, fueling his rage.

  Her eyes widened in fear, and her hands came up, guarding her face as her body shrank from contact. A wave of shame swept through him. Never had he struck a woman in anger. And he wasn’t about to make the cowering woman in front of him the first. She’d been hit before—no doubt about it. The signs were all there. Here he was with fisted hands, as if he were an uncivilized brute, ready to strike a woman who’d only hurt him with words, never in deed.

  Shaking his head, he willed his fists to relax, turned, grabbed his cane and limped from the room. Before he closed the door behind him, he heard her let out a sigh. His throat clenched. That he scared her hurt. Hurt him.

  Leaning against the cool adobe wall outside her bedchamber, he heard her crying—no, sobbing. Why? He hadn’t touched her. Nor had he given more than a bitter response, the result of the pain her words caused. He hadn’t attacked her at all.

  Talia wasn’t some fragile debutante who’d swoon at the faintest of insults. No, for his however brief show of anger to upset her so… He’d scared her, pure and simple. The disparity of their strength alone was enough to frighten any woman. Had he lost control, he could’ve crushed her fragile frame. No matter how strong a woman she was, she was still vulnerable to the greater strength of a man.