by Kit Tunstall
His eyes darkened, and he scowled. “You don’t get to speak to me that way.”
She should have been frightened, but she was just too irate to be quiet. “Why would you want me to come back with you when I don’t want to? You don’t even know me.”
Tiernan’s gaze raked her face. “I know you’re beautiful.”
“That’s shallow.”
He arched a brow. “What other criteria would I take into account for a lover, Madison?”
She growled with frustration. “You can’t even give me a good reason for ripping me from my life. How can you think this is okay? I don’t understand how you can justify taking someone who is unwilling.”
Eyes narrowed, he reached for her, jerking Madison into his arms. “Because of this.” He thrust his hips forward, pressing his erection into her stomach. “Even right now, when I could happily wrap my hands around your throat to shut you up, I’m hard and aching for you. Just the memory of how you feel wrapped around me is enough to make me want to bend you over the table and satisfy myself.”
A tear streamed down her cheek. “You’d kill my family just for your lust?”
His mouth tightened. “Don’t be so dramatic.” He pushed her away, careful to make sure she was steady on her feet even in his rage. “You don’t have to make it like this. You could come to the capitol with me as my personal companion without all this nonsense.”
“And if I don’t?”
Tiernan sighed, looking tired for a second, before his expression morphed to a cool mask. “I’m sure we can find a pair of leg chains and handcuffs. I’ll chain you to my bed if that’s the way you want it.”
Her spine stiffened. “What happens to my family?”
He lifted a shoulder. “That’s up to you. If you come willingly, I promise you’ll be able to talk to them at least once a week.”
Madison arched her brow. “Uh huh. How am I supposed to do that?”
“Blaney has a communications system, and I’ll task Sergeant Nash with ensuring your family is brought here on a designated day to talk with you.”
Anger was still bubbling inside her chest, but fear for her family was tempering it. Still, she pushed further, wanting to hear him admit just how far he’d go to have her, to fortify her own defenses against his superficial charm. “If that isn’t enough for me, and I still choose to stay here?”
He laughed harshly. “Staying here isn’t a choice, Madison. You’re coming with me. If you force me to drag you out of Graceport like a prisoner, you can expect the treatment given one. You won’t receive special considerations or favors.”
“My family?” she probed.
He stared at her, his expression grim. “Their fate is the one thing you do get to choose.”
Madison gasped, hating him more than any person ever at that moment. If she’d had a knife, she would have stabbed him with it. “You’re a monster.”
“Perhaps I’ll show you how monstrous I can be when we’re back in Seattle-Archer.” His gaze didn’t leave hers. “Now, decide. Are you my personal companion or my prisoner?”
Angling her chin high and pushing back her shoulders, she scowled at him. “You already know the answer to that. What choice do I have?”
“None,” he said with a tinge of satisfaction.
Keeping her voice cold and distant, she asked, “May I at least say goodbye?”
He scoffed. “You’re not leaving this house until we’re ready to travel. Write them a letter, and Nash will deliver it.” He started walking toward the door. “But hurry, because we leave soon.”
She waited until he closed the door behind himself with a solid thud to toss one of the pillows from the settee in his direction. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as she’d hoped and couldn’t compare to her longing to toss a brick at him instead.
Mouth compressed, she went to the writing desk nearby, easily finding an inkwell, feather quill, and paper. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she couldn’t let them fall. If her papa saw a tear-stained letter, he might come after her in a vain attempt to rescue her. She couldn’t allow that. No one in her family could be at risk. This was a conflict she’d have to fight alone—and the commander was in for a battle. If he thought she was just going to easily surrender to his sex demands, to be his compliant companion, he was about to learn differently.
Chapter Four
Before Tiernan had morphed from tender lover to tyrant, she had briefly wondered how he and his troops had traveled to Graceport, since there weren’t enough steam vehicles in all of the surrounding area to ferry more than fifty people. Her mild curiosity had faded, but she still got her answer as Blaney’s driver brought the big station wagon to a halt near a train platform. Disdaining the hand the commander offered to assist her from the car, she slid out behind him and moved aside so Cleo and his personal chef could exit.
He gave her no choice about walking beside him by reaching out to grasp her wrist and pull her along at a brisk pace. Perhaps he feared she would try to flee into the surrounding woods. Perceptive. The thought had crossed her mind, only to be discarded before he ever took hold of her. There were too many soldiers—who must have marched here earlier in the day to await Archer’s arrival—and she was still too close to home to risk an escape attempt.
With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked beside him up the wooden steps and preceded him into the first car, luxuriously appointed with leather seats and fur rugs on the floor. Not looking at him, she took a window seat, sighing softly when he sat down beside her. Would she never have any freedom from him? The best she could hope for was he would tire quickly of her passive resistance and let her go.
The train was underway in a few minutes. At first, the motion was strange, and she grasped the metal bar below the window. Soon enough, she became accustomed to the swaying motion, which induced a state of involuntary relaxation. Her tranquility deepened when Tiernan got up to leave the car. As the minutes passed without his return, she let her body sag, feeling free of tension for the first time since he’d made his despotic announcement earlier in the morning. Lulled by the train, she ended up dozing off, unused to spending half the night in such physical pursuits.
*****
Tiernan returned to the head car to find Madison sleeping, her head angled awkwardly against the window. He had an impulse to stretch out her seat so she could rest more comfortably, but resisted. Instead, he turned away from her in favor of the liquor cabinet. Catching Cleo’s gaze upon him, he lifted the bottle of amber liquid. “Cognac?”
She shook her head. “It’s a bit early for me, honey.”
Ignoring what might have been a small admonishment, he tossed back a finger’s worth before pouring another to take with him back to the seat. He was restless, feeling as caged as an animal. Train rides were always nerve racking, because he hated that feeling of being trapped aboard, of being forced into idleness, and of surrendering control to the conductor.
His cock twitched as he recalled how he and Cleo had passed part of the time on the journey to Graceport, but even as he turned to ask her to accompany him to the bedroom car, his desire waned. She was a beautiful woman and a talented lover, but he couldn’t muster enough interest to stay hard. There was only one woman he wanted, and she was asleep. He’d like to think she would welcome him with a warm, sleepy smile if he picked her up to carry her to bed, but he had never been a man to buy into delusions.
His mouth twisted as he sat beside her sleeping form, drawn to her despite his desire not to be. With an impatient mutter directed solely at himself, he put his hand under her head and tilted it so it rested on his shoulder instead of the hot glass.
Examining the liquor, he had to stay the impulse to throw the crystal glass across the compartment like a crazy man. What was wrong with him? What had she done to him? Taking prisoners wasn’t his style. None of his lovers had ever been reluctant to be with him. The right thing to do was to let her go. As soon as they got to Seattle-Archer, he should send her hom
e again, and never mind the fuel expenditures.
As she sighed in her sleep, her breath caressing his neck, he knew he wasn’t going to do the right thing. He couldn’t let her go. Not yet. Even not knowing why he was compelled to keep her couldn’t make him let her go. Tiernan shied away from probing too deeply into his reasons. There were far more important things to think about than one woman.
Still, his thoughts repeatedly wandered back to her, and the previous night, as they completed the trip back home. The cognac in his glass remained untouched, and he closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief time to savor memories of last night. By the time they arrived home, he would be hard as a steel rod if he didn’t find a way to distract himself. Even knowing he had a long list of tasks awaiting him upon his arrival at the capitol, meaning it would be hours before he could visit her bed again, didn’t provide enough impetus for him to stop torturing himself with remembered passion.
*****
Madison woke with a start as the brakes squealed and the train rocked forward. She would have fallen if not for the solid arm that came around her waist. Eyes wide, and a tad disoriented from her nap, she looked at Tiernan. For a second, she started to smile at him, before everything came rushing back. In an instant, she killed the action, setting her expression to a distant one instead. “Thank you for catching me,” she said with utmost politeness. Earlier in the trip, she had remembered learning about a Cold War and had decided upon that approach with Tiernan. Anger, threats, and fighting would not win her escape, but coldness and distance might be just what she needed to push him away.
“My pleasure,” he said in the same aloof tone, but his eyes sparkled with mocking. He rose to his feet, not offering her further assistance. Tiernan turned away from her to address Cleo. “Get her settled in my suite please.” Without looking back, he walked out of the car and to the platform, where a small group of uniformed officers awaited him.
She tried not to stiffen as Cleo put a hand on her arm. “I guess you have guard duties,” she sniped.
Cleo frowned. “What?”
“Don’t pretend you’re on my side.”
The other woman looked hurt. “I don’t understand.”
With a probing gaze, Madison decided she really didn’t comprehend the situation. Cleo was apparently not privy to the information that Tiernan had snatched her away from her family. Sighing, she relaxed. “Sorry, never mind. I get grouchy after naps.”
Cleo’s warm smile returned. “That’s okay. Come on, let’s see your new home.”
She managed a wan smile. “Great.” Following Cleo from the train, she couldn’t help scanning the area for Tiernan. Just to make sure she was out of his reach for a time, she assured herself. Otherwise, she didn’t care what he was doing or where he had gone.
They left the train platform and walked across the street to an imposing building near the waterfront. It must have once been a museum or something, because it was huge and imposing. The only sign said “Seattle-Archer Capitol Building.” With a sigh of reluctance, she walked beside Cleo up the many marble stairs. Her guide took her on a short tour of the government building before steering Madison toward another flight of stairs.
“The commander’s, guests, and companions’ quarters are on the third floor.” They bypassed the second floor, not stopping until they emerged onto the third floor. With brisk steps that should have been impossible in her incredibly high heels, Cleo led her down a hallway covered with muted gold carpeting that more than adequately cushioned each step.
At the end of the hallway, she opened a set of French doors similar to the ones in Blaney’s household, though larger and more elaborate. Stepping back, Cleo waved to indicate she should go first.
Despite her determination not to be impressed, she gasped with awe. The bed was huge, with a canopy and gauzy drapes. The black shiny-looking bedspread invited touching, and she turned away to avoid temptation. The solid wooden furniture gleamed with patina of age.
“Where’s my room?” she asked, hoping she sounded nonchalant about the sight before her.
Cleo shrugged. “You’re looking at it, as far as I know, honey. Tiernan said to put you in his suite.” She frowned as she said the words.
“Is that strange?” asked Madison.
Once again, Cleo shrugged. “It’s never been done before, but I’m not going to question Tiernan’s orders.” Her tone implied only a fool would do so.
Making a non-committal sound, she walked around the room, examining everything closely. When Cleo said, “I have to take care of some things,” she waved at her as the other woman left Tiernan’s room.
Her room, at least for now. He hadn’t exaggerated when he said it would be a new lifestyle. Everything was immaculate and elegant. She’d bet there was a huge tub with running water in the bathroom she hadn’t found yet. No doubt, she could ask for anything she wanted to eat, and it would appear as if by magic. The tradeoff was her body and her freedom.
She grimaced. That was not a worthy trade. The body part she could handle, as much as it shamed her to admit. It was no hardship to share his bed. In fact, she suspected it would be a lot harder to keep from responding when she launched her first battle in the war. Keeping the thoughts of her family in mind would be enough to get her through the challenge, she hoped. They needed her in a way Tiernan couldn’t understand, since he was practically a prince, born to this lifestyle. She couldn’t imagine he’d ever had to sacrifice for something he needed, or dealt with bitter disappointment when it was unattainable.
She wandered to the closet, opening it to snoop shamelessly through his clothes. There were more of the white cotton shirts, neatly pressed trousers, and several uniform jackets. He had six pairs of shoes, and she wondered why he needed all those. As she opened a drawer in dresser against the walk-in’s wall, she closed it quickly upon realizing it was his underwear.
Speaking of, where was her underwear? She hadn’t been allowed to pack any, or other clothes. All of her possessions remained behind, including the wooden brush her father had carved for her and filled with horsehair bristles as a gift for her fourteenth birthday. Surely, he didn’t expect her to stay naked all the time?
Deciding to discover the answer, she walked to the door, intent on finding Cleo. Madison drew to a halt at the sight of a solider standing in the hallway outside the French doors. “Um, hello.”
He inclined his head. “Good afternoon, Miss Cole.”
She started to step out of the room, but his posture shifted slightly to block her. “Excuse me,” she said, trying to check her impatience.
The soldier’s bland expression revealed nothing. “I apologize, but my orders are to ensure you stay in your room, miss.”
Anger surged through her, but she kept her tone cool when she said, “I see. Could you get Cleo Black for me then?”
“I’m not allowed to leave my post.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, then maybe you can help me.”
He looked doubtful, but nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Where do I get clothes? I mean, I have exactly one pair of underwear that I’m wearing, and they won’t be fresh in another day or so. I don’t have a bra, and the clothes I’m wearing don’t quite fit.”
He looked a little pale. “I’m sorry, but I don’t—”
Embracing her mean streak, though she knew it was really Tiernan she wanted to be laying into, rather than this poor young man, she persisted. “Another thing. What do I do about feminine hygiene?” At his blank look, she said, “I’m supposed to start bleeding in a few days. Where do I get supplies for that? Can you tell me those things?”
There was a green tinge to his skin. “No, but let me get someone to escort Miss Black here.”
“Thanks.” She flashed a sunny smile, though she didn’t feel at all cheerful, even after torturing the poor kid. The slam of the door behind her probably betrayed her true irritation. As she waited for Cleo, she paced, anger powering each step. How dare he confine her to this roo
m? So much for her option of choosing to be a willing companion instead of a prisoner.
Of course, she wasn’t actually planning to be all that willing, was she? And she would escape if the opportunity presented itself. Assuming she could get out of Seattle-Archer, she should be safe to return home. For whatever reason Tiernan wanted her, surely it wasn’t enough to compel him to search for her or follow her back to Yakima-Grace.
This turn of events redoubled her determination to resist Tiernan and thwart him at every opportunity. It was about time he found out he couldn’t always have what he wanted, at least not easily.
Chapter Five
Tiernan could barely keep his pace casual instead of breaking into a jog as he neared the door to his room. Knowing Madison was on the other side put a bounce in his step. He wasn’t looking forward to the initial pouting in which she was likely to engage, but once that was over, a night of pleasure loomed.
