“You saw hijo del Diablo with your own eyes?” Rosa asked her face paling. “No one has ever laid eyes on him and lived to talk about it.”
“I never saw his face. It was as if he was a massive black form consumed by shadows wherever he went. Pacquito did not even look upon him. He was on trembling knees, crying in front of him. And he kept nodding, agreeing with the devil.”
“So Pacquito is one of the devil’s own. Why then would he help you destroy him?” his father said.
“When the devil’s own disappoints, he suffers for it. Pacquito has disappointed the devil, only he doesn’t know it yet, and when the devil finds out... he will help me.”
“Help you do what?” his father asked.
“Find Pacquito so I can kill him.”
Rosa was annoyed when Don Alejandro insisted that the conversation wasn’t suitable for the women to hear. That it was late and they all should retire and he and Esteban would discuss what would be done tomorrow.
Having gotten to know her husband, she knew that no further discussion would change anything. He would do as he planned... kill Pacquito. And nothing would stop him not even the devil. He had been consumed by evil and the only way to completely free himself of it was to destroy it. She couldn’t help but fear for his life and worse, she didn’t know how to help him.
Esteban took her in his arms as soon as they entered their bedchamber wanting nothing more than to lose himself in making love to her and escape the madness of his situation.
Rosa pressed a hand to his chest, worrisome questions running wild in her head. “There must be another way to stop Pacquito.”
“Do not concern yourself with it.” He tried to pull her close, never expecting resistance since she always seemed to melt at his touch, but this time she slipped away from him, and he didn’t like it.
“How can you say that?”
He had to smile at her demanding tone, for he had never heard her so adamant.
“Do not smile at me as if I was some child that you intend to placate. I am your wife and expect to be treated as such.”
“Good, then be a dutiful wife and shed your clothes and get in bed,” he said teasingly, though with a tone that was meant to be obeyed.
She slapped her hands on her hips and tossed her chin up. “No, not until I have some answers.”
He gave an irritated laugh as he said, “You think to dictate to me?”
“Think of it whatever way you will as long as I have my answers.”
Damn if her boldness didn’t excite him and grow him hard. He had no intention of discussing anything with her. He wanted her in bed, and now.
He took a quick step toward her, but her hand shot up so fast in front of him that it actually stopped him from taking another step.
“No. We will talk first.”
“You dare say no?” he snapped, then ordered, “You will do as I say.”
She got so angry at his adamant response that she didn’t stop to curb her tongue. “We talk or you can sleep in the other room.”
His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared, and he appeared to leap at her, though it was only a quick step toward her that he took. Still it frightened her that he moved so fast or perhaps it was that she was too frozen to move.
He didn’t reach out to touch her or take another step closer, he simply stood staring down at her and she never felt so small or vulnerable. That he was angry was obvious, but then so was she. Didn’t he understand how much she feared for his safety as he feared for hers? Her own question had her grasping the absurdity of it all and as he went to speak, she pressed her fingers to his lips.
“Forgive me, I spoke from helplessness. I will not have you sleeping anyplace but beside me.”
That she apologized for her hasty threat stunned him, but more so it pleased him to hear that she wanted him in bed beside her.
“I feel helpless to help you and I feel even more helpless when you keep things from me, for then my thoughts take flight and I cannot stop from worrying about you.”
Damn if his wife wasn’t ripping his heart from his chest and claiming it with every word she spoke.
“While I have every confidence that you can best Pacquito, I fear for your life. I do not want to lose you.” A smile crept over her. “You are turning out to be a better husband than I had expected and it would be wise for me to keep you.”
He laughed softly after taking her hand in his. “Believe me, wife, when I tell you that you will never be rid of me. You’re stuck with me.”
“I don’t mind being stuck with you. It is no chore, though...”
His arm went around her waist and he eased her against him. “Though?”
“Please, Esteban, share your thoughts with me, all of them. Do not think me too sensitive or incapable of dealing with any matter that comes our way. I am here for you and always will be.”
That was it... she stole every single piece of his heart. It now belonged to her completely, without her, his heart would not beat. His first thought was to scoop her up, hurry her to bed, and make love to her, but that would be what he needed, badly. Instead, he would give her what she needed.
He took her hand and she went to walk toward the bed. He surprised her when he walked toward the patio doors. She followed without question, though it was there in her inquiring eyes.
They went out beyond the stone patio, mixed fragrances drifting along the warm night air, to sit on the wooden bench.
“You ask me to share my thoughts, but beware,” he warned with a smile, “most of my thoughts are about you naked in my arms.”
She chuckled. “That is good to know, since most of mine are of you.”
“Naked in your arms?” he teased.
She was glad the night hid her blush as she softly confessed. “No. You deep inside me, making me come more than once.”
“This conversation will not last long with you admitting that, though I do love hearing it.”
“I will be good and say no more even if it pains me.”
“You tempt my soul, woman.”
She couldn’t help but tease, it felt so natural to do so with him. “I thought I tempted a different part of you.”
He took her hand and settled it between his legs. “Does that answer your question?”
“Most definitely,” she said and gave his hardness a squeeze. “And once we finish talking I would be most happy to rain kisses on him for being so patient.”
“Damn it, Rosa, how the hell do you expect me to concentrate on talk when all I’ll be able to think about is you—” He shook his head.
“Then settle my worries so I may settle yours.” She removed her hand and waited.
“Can mere words settle your concern? I can make no promises to you. This is something I must see done and Pacquito knows it, wants it as much as I do.”
“Then why does he hide from you?”
“He doesn’t hide. He’ll draw me out when he is ready and that is what concerns me, for he will use someone close to me to do it.”
“So you try to protect all of us.”
“I could not stand for any of my family to suffer the hell that I did.”
She had to ask the question that had tormented her. She placed her hand gently on his arm. “Surely, you could have left sooner. Why did you wait so long?”
Esteban knew it was the question on everyone’s mind and that he would have to answer it one day. There was no longer any point in keeping it a secret and if anyone would understand, it would be Rosa.
He took hold of her hand and she squeezed it lightly.
“When I was first captured I was brave and foolishly thought I could withstand anything until I was rescued. I learned right away how dreadfully wrong I was. As days turned into weeks the only thing I prayed for was death.
“After weeks on the trail, we settled into one of Pacquito’s home camps where an old woman befriended me. Lequita was her name and if it hadn’t been for her I would have never survived my ordeal. She taught me
patience and the art of survival, but most of all she taught me the true meaning of courage.”
Esteban turned his head away for a moment and Rosa could tell that this was not easy for him to speak about. And she appreciated all the more that he was sharing it with her.
“When I turned seventeen, I was skilled enough to escape and Pacquito knew it. One day he called everyone together in the middle of the camp. It was never good when he did that for it meant that someone was about to suffer. But no one, least of all me, expected it to be Lequita. He announced to all that if I attempted to leave his group of renegades that Lequita would suffer for it. He then had several of his men grab hold of me before I could get to her, and he proceeded to beat Lequita within to an inch of her life.”
Rosa cringed at the thought of the old woman’s suffering.
“I couldn’t leave her knowing that he would beat her to death if I did. She had been so kind and good to me. So I stayed until...”
“She died,” Rosa finished. He didn’t answer and the longer he didn’t respond the more she wondered. “What happened?” she asked softly.
He choked on his words. “She took her life so that I could be free.”
Rosa gasped. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Esteban. How horrible and how unselfish of her to do that for you.”
“I left shortly after she was buried. Pacquito knew I would leave. He wanted me to so that we would finally have the showdown he’d been aching for. But it had to be under his terms. He wanted to make me pay for Lequita’s death.”
“He was angry at you for the old woman taking her life?”
“She wasn’t any old woman... she was his grandmother.”
Rosa gasped again. “He beat his own grandmother and would have killed her if you had escaped?”
“After I saw how he beat her I couldn’t take the chance that he wouldn’t kill her. She was a good woman, offering help to any who needed it. I often wondered why she remained in camp. Why she didn’t go live elsewhere, away from her malicious grandson. She told me that he would be far worse if she didn’t stay with him, and she was right. I saw her calm him many a time and save many a life.”
“She sounds like she was a remarkable woman. But if you know that Pacquito expects to meet up with you why not wait for him to do so instead of getting involved with hijo del Diablo?”
“Pacquito will continue to attack, loot, burn, and kill while he gathers information before he finally comes after me. I don’t want any more innocent people to suffer because of me.”
“But hijo del Diablo will want something in return for his help.”
“I will bargain with him.”
“You cannot bargain with the devil,” Rosa argued.
“Hijo del Diablo is nothing more than a man.”
Rosa shook her head and took hold of her husband’s hand. “Do not make the mistake of thinking him merely a man. He is called hijo del Diablo for a reason.”
Esteban wondered if his wife knew how hard she gripped his hand. It was almost as if she had no intentions of letting him go. Not that she could stop him, though could she? He missed her desperately when they were separated and damn if his heart didn’t ache for her, not to mention other parts of his body. But he had no choice in this matter. He had always known it would come to this. What he hadn’t known was that he would have a wife he loved more than anything in the world. And it made the task that much more troublesome and difficult.
He attempted to reassure her. “I have become personally familiar with evil and know well what I deal with.” Before she could continue debating the matter, he leaned down and kissed her.
“You are attempting to distract me,” she said between kisses.
“Is it working?” he asked with a laugh and a nip at her neck.
“You know full well that your kisses never fail to excite me.”
“You mean they make you wet?”
She swatted his arm. “You are wicked.”
He took hold of her chin, his eyes settling on hers. “And still you love me?”
She had meant to tease him, but her words had struck him differently, giving suspicion to his own misgivings. She could repeatedly tell him that she loved him, but her words meant nothing if he did not believe her. The truth was that she had hardly believed it herself at times. But she had learned soon enough that her fears and doubts had been misguided. Esteban was a good man with a good soul, even if he thought he lacked one.
“You hesitate to answer me,” he said harsher than he meant to, his hand falling away from her chin.
“Do you not trust my word?” she asked softly.
“You haven’t given me any reason not to.”
“Then why question my love for you?” When he didn’t answer, she bravely said, “Perhaps it’s your love for me you question?”
He flew off the bench, turning his back on her, regretting his response before the words left his mouth. “I love no one.”
Rosa stood and gathered even more courage to say, “I don’t believe that. You could never make love to me the way you do if you didn’t love me.”
He turned around slowly. “I’ve always made the women that I have claimed feel as though I cared. It made their surrender that much easier.”
His words angered her, and she believed that was exactly what he had intended to do... anger her. Not for once did she believe he didn’t love her. And it was time to confront the issue. She took a sudden step toward him and demanded, “Tell me that you don’t love me.”
His eyes flared with anger and his lips tightened, as if he fought against responding. And he did. His heart refused to lie, yet the truth could prove deadly for her.
“You can’t say it, can you?” she said taking another quick step toward him.
He didn’t move, though she was near on top of him.
She tilted her head to the side and whispered, “Show me.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Esteban scooped her up in his arms, though didn’t move. He stood staring at her, amazed at her perceptive nature, or could it be that she understood him, believed in him and knew exactly how he felt no matter what foolishness he spouted.
“I’m growing impatient,” —she lowered her voice— “for you to be inside me.”
“Then I will stay inside you and satisfy you over and over and over.”
“I never doubted you would.”
He knew all too well that they weren’t speaking about making love. They were speaking of just how much he loved her. And one day he would confess his never-ending love for her. Until then...
Esteban hoisted her up further in his arms and stole her breath along with a kiss as he walked to their bedchamber. He set her on her feet just inside the room, closed the patio doors and began to undress after seeing that she was already shedding her clothes.
Her eagerness spurred his and they were soon naked in bed. His hands quickly began to caress every curve and angle and she squirmed in pleasure. When his mouth began to follow the same path, she moaned and tugged at his shoulders.
He looked up at her.
“I can’t wait any longer.”
“I’ve only just begun.”
“But I want—need—you inside me now.”
“I won’t deny you,” he said and slipped off her to spread her legs and position himself between them.
Her eyes closed shut as her ache grew and she could feel herself grow wetter as his tip poked at her as if knocking and seeking permission, though he needed none. He was and always would be welcome inside her.
She wasn’t surprised when he slipped an arm beneath each knee, then lifted her slightly making it easier for him to enter her not to mention allowing him to go that much deeper. Any moment now he would plunge into her and she would come in an instant, and then he would make her come again and again and...
He entered her slowly and not all the way before he eased out again and repeated the tormenting action a few times.
Her eyes flew open and on a moan beg
ged, “Stop teasing me. I want to come now.”
He pushed a bit further into her and pulled out again. “You’ll come when I let you.”
“You can’t stop me. I’m too near.”
“Is that a challenge?”
Her eyes suddenly turned wide realizing that this was a challenge he was far better suited for than she was. “You wouldn’t.”
“You wanted me inside you and it is exactly where I want to be, and I’m in no hurry so...”
He entered her with a swiftness that had her crying out with pleasure, though established a slow pace that drove her absolutely crazy with even more pleasure. He not only drove in and out of her, but he moved so that it felt as if he went round and round inside of her tormenting her senseless.
Every time she thought she would come, he stopped all movement and she groaned with disappointment. She didn’t know when he had slipped his arms out from under her legs and settled over her. She gripped his muscled arms to hold on tight as he drove her to the edge over and over. It took her much too long to realize that her grip tightened on his arms whenever she was just about to come and so she wisely removed her hands to grip the sheet instead.
Not that it mattered, he seemed to know when she was near and once again stopped her from going over the edge into oblivion, which is where she so wanted to go and for him to go with her.
Esteban wanted to linger in the delicious torment forever. She moved against him in such frantic passion that it grew him harder than he thought he’d ever been. And he knew that when he finally let her come, it would not be just once but multiple times and he would explode with just as much pleasure seeing and feeling her burst in climax over and over.
Rosa pressed frantically against him. She would come. She wouldn’t let him stop her. She heard his soft laughter and when he smiled she grew annoyed.
“You’ll come when I let you.”
Instinct took hold and she wrapped her legs around his locking him against her and at the same time drove herself up hard against him. The jolt sent him slamming deeper into her and with two more quick thrusts, she felt herself tumbling off the edge and sustaining the motion... took him with her.
Esteban threw back his head and roared an oath as he exploded in a climax that seemed never-ending, thanks to his wife. Her petite body continued pummeling his, her hips slamming against him in climax after climax.
Renegade Love (Rancheros) Page 21
