by Bobbi Smith
Hilary was glad that there was no one at home when she returned, and she didn't even bother to light a lamp as she entered her bedroom. She wanted time alone to think about Daniel. She started to undress.
"Let me do that for you . . ." a deep voice came to her out of the darkness.
Caught unawares, she gasped in shock.
"Come, Hilary. We both know you're no stranger to having a man in your bedroom . . ." There was laughter in the man's voice.
Hilary's shock turned to good-humored dismay. "Kyle. Only you would be so bold as to break into my home. What are you doing here?"
"I didn't break into your home, my dear. I merely entered without anyone knowing, but that's all the better for us, don't you think?" Kyle kissed her. It was a hot, possessive kiss, and when he drew away he asked, "Did you have a good time tonight?"
"You might say that," she told him. They'd known each other for years, and, in fact, were two of a kind. They took what they wanted, and damn the consequences.
"I expected you home long ago."
"I met a very interesting man. You might know him. He goes to Marywood."
"Really?"
"His name is Daniel Marshall, and he's quite the best-looking man I've ever seen."
Kyle's eyes turned cold at the mention of Daniel's name, but he revealed nothing else of his hatred for the man. "I've heard of him."
"What do you know about him?" she asked, hoping for more information she could use to her advantage in her pursuit of him.
"He's a half-breed and little better than an animal from what I understand."
"Personally, I find him very attractive." She gave a throaty chuckle as she moved away from Kyle to light a lamp. "He's handsome and intelligent and . . ."
"And a savage," he finished the sentence for her.
"And I'm going to tame him." She continued to loosen her gown as she spoke, then let it slip from her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed like a cat's as she turned back to Kyle. Daniel was the man she wanted in her bed right now, but she would satisfy herself with Kyle. There would be time for Daniel later.
Kyle responded to Hilary's unspoken invitation, picking her up and carrying her to the bed. He stripped away the rest of her clothes and eagerly shed his own. They came together in a blinding rush of lust that had nothing to do with love or tenderness. Later, when the passionate frenzy had passed, she lay with Kyle, sated but not satisfied.
"I've invited Daniel to the country next weekend for the hunt."
"What for?" he asked, irritated that she would bring up the half-breed while they were in bed together.
"I want to spend the whole weekend with him. By the time the weekend is over, Daniel Marshall is going to be mine."
"Don't count on it. From what I know about Marshall, the only thing he cares about is studying. He has some crazy idea about going back out West after graduation and working with his tribe. For all that he may look like a gentleman, he's going to end up living in a tipi and running around in a breechcloth."
"Daniel in a breechcloth? Sounds wonderful. I even love his Indian name. Silver Wolf. Maybe I'll go west with him."
"I thought you said you were going to tame him, darling, not the other way around," he sneered. "I'll tell you what. I'll make you a wager."
"A wager? What kind of wager?" She levered herself up on one elbow to look down at Kyle, her eyes glowing with excitement.
"I'll bet you that you can't bring the 'Wolf' to heel."
She laughed at his word play. "Be careful what you bet, Kyle. I'm very good with dogs, and wolves are quite similar to their canine cousins." A confident smile curved her lips. "What do I get when I win?"
"When you win?"
"Absolutely. I have no intention of failing."
He looked thoughtful, then smiled. "A diamond bracelet. You can have your choice."
She nodded, eager to claim her prize. "I'll tame Daniel, you'll see. I'll have him following me around like a lovesick puppy, eating out of my hand within two months." Already she was imagining the diamond-crusted bracelet on her arm.
"Two months it is, Hilary. But tell me, how will I know if he's 'following you around like a lovesick puppy'?"
"We'll arrange it so you can see us together. How's that?"
"Fine. But, tell me, darling, what do I get if you fail?"
"What do you want, Kyle?" Her eyes were sparkling with bold confidence.
"You, in my bed, for an entire week."
"Done!"
As Daniel lay in his bed late that night, he realized he knew nothing about fox hunting. He decided to ask Ben's advice. "Ben? Hilary invited me to her family's estate for a fox hunt next weekend, and I wondered if there's anything special I need to know?"
Ben had been trying to sleep, but at Daniel's words he stirred, frowning into the darkness, wondering at Hilary's game. "You ride like the wind. You won't have any trouble. I'll show you a few technical things you'll need to learn during the week. Other than that, you'll be fine."
Daniel was completely unaware that Ben was having misgivings. He only knew that each passing day brought him closer to seeing Hilary again.
When Friday arrived, Ben loaned him the clothing he would need for the hunt, and he was greatly appreciative.
"Any time. Just remember—be careful," Ben advised, not saying what was really in his heart—that he wanted Daniel to run as far and as fast as he could away from Hilary Moore.
Daniel arrived at the Moore's country house and was admitted by a servant. Hilary appeared at the top of the staircase.
"Daniel . . . I'm so glad you're finally here!" Hilary moved slowly down to him, her gaze fastened on him.
As Daniel watched her coming down the steps, he was surprised to find that she again reminded him of Little Snow. He wasn't sure if it was the simple way she was wearing her hair down and brushed out in a glorious tumble of curls around her shoulders, or if it was the fashionable, deep-green daygown she wore that clung to her shapely figure. As she reached the bottom step and their eyes met, though, he knew she wasn't his Little Snow. The look in her eyes was anything but innocent, and the slight pout of her lips stirred his blood. He felt heat rising through him.
"I missed you," she said in a throaty voice.
The heady scent of her perfume encircled him, rousing his senses to an even sharper edge. "I missed you, too," he answered, unable to stop himself from reaching for her.
"I thought today would never come."
Without a thought as to who might catch them, she drew him down to her for a fiery kiss. Their mouths met in a torrent of desire, and when they broke apart, they were both breathless.
"It's going to be a wonderful weekend," she said in a tone that promised even more delights. She led him off to meet her family and the other guests.
Daniel was proving more than amenable to Hilary's direction. He charmed her parents and his skill as a horseman left her breathless. Everyone in attendance was thoroughly impressed with him, including many of the other ladies, who, along with Hilary, thought he looked absolutely magnificent in the scarlet coat and highly polished boots.
Daniel spent every moment he could with Hilary, but it seemed they were always surrounded by a crowd of people. Sunday he awakened early. The night before he'd mentioned to Hilary's father that he might go for an early-morning ride. Mr. Moore had given his approval, and so Daniel was up, dressed, and ready to ride long before anyone else even thought about getting out of bed.
A soft knock sounded at his bedroom door as he was about to leave for the stables, surprising him. He opened the portal to find Hilary standing there, also dressed for a ride.
"I heard you talking to my father last night, and I thought I'd go riding with you to keep you company."
She stepped into his bedroom and shut the door behind her. Her gaze fell upon his bed with its tumbled covers, and she wished she'd been lying there with him all night, instead of spending the long, dark hours alone. She wanted Daniel desperately, but her bet with Kyle had
kept her in her own room. A quick, heated coupling wouldn't do it. She had to bring Daniel to heel, and she couldn't do that if she gave in to her desire to make love to him too quickly.
Daniel saw the direction of her gaze, and for a fleeting moment he thought of throwing her onto the bed's softness and making love to her. The idea stirred him, but he respected Hilary and didn't want to put her reputation at risk.
"We'd better go," he told her softly.
"In a minute . . ." She stepped nearer to him and rested her hands on his chest as she gazed up at him. "First . . . kiss me, Daniel."
He crushed her to him, his mouth claiming hers. Hilary reveled in the power of his embrace. She allowed him to hold her until she felt the fever building within him, then she moved away. She used all the tricks of a tease to deliberately maneuver Daniel where she wanted him.
They left the house and made their way to the stables. Daniel saddled their horses and helped her to mount, his hands sure and strong at her waist.
Hilary took the lead, guiding Daniel along wooded bridle paths and across open fields. Having led him the merry chase, she finally reined in at a secluded glade. Unable to resist any longer, they lay together on the bed of sweet grass, sharing kiss after ardent kiss. Suddenly, Hilary needed the feel of Daniel's hands upon her bare flesh.
"It's all right, Daniel. No one will find us here . . ." She unbuttoned the top three buttons on her blouse, then took his hands and drew them to her to finish.
"Hilary . . ." Daniel unfastened the last two buttons and parted the fabric of her blouse to reveal the lacy camisole that remained the sole barrier between them.
She shrugged her shoulders just enough to let the straps of the camisole fall, baring all but the very peaks of her breasts. With a groan of pure desire, Daniel pushed the offending garment down.
"You're beautiful," he said huskily as he cupped her breasts and pressed heated kisses upon them.
"Oh, Daniel . . ." she gasped.
His lips explored her sensitive flesh, and she arched to him, offering him more. Her hands moved over him, unbuttoning his shirt to bare his chest to her caress. Pulling him up to kiss her lips again, she pressed her breasts against his hair-roughened chest. A shudder wracked him, and she smiled in feminine triumph, for she knew that he was close to losing control. She slowed her caresses and whispered, "Daniel. We have to stop . . ."
Daniel tensed. He knew she was right, but that didn't make it any easier to stop loving her. With an effort, he moved away. He sat up, his knees bent before him, his forearms resting on them as he fought to bring his raging desire under control.
"It's time we go back, Hilary." He glanced over to where she lay beside him, her breasts still bared to his hungry gaze, and knew he would regret being honorable for a very long time.
Hilary saw the flaming passion in his gaze and smiled to herself. Her plan was working! He wanted her—desperately! With slow, deliberately provocative moves, she covered herself. She was aware of his heated gaze upon her, and she gloried in the sense of power it gave her. The weekend had been a marvelous success.
Several weeks passed, and Hilary made sure that they spent every possible moment together. She arranged strategic times and places where they would be alone just long enough for her to work her wiles on him, rouse him to a fever pitch, and then leave him.
Daniel was unaware of Hilary's devious planning. He was too enraptured with her and the world she was showing him. Each day seemed brighter, each flower more fragrant, each moment happier since she'd come into his life. He thought of love and wondered if this was it.
One afternoon, seven weeks after he'd met Hilary, Daniel returned to his room after classes to find a note from her waiting for him.
"What is it?" Ben asked casually, as he watched a slow smile spread across Daniel's face as he read the note.
"I'm meeting Hilary tonight." His blood began to heat as he anticipated the rendezvous.
"Don't you have a report due in tomorrow?"
"I'll get to it."
"Daniel, I think it's time you and I had a talk."
"Why?"
"You've worked too hard to throw it all away. Think about what you're doing. You've been neglecting your studies."
"I'm still receiving passing grades," he argued.
"Daniel, there's something you need to know . . . something I have to tell you before you ruin your life. It's about Hilary."
"What about her?" Daniel tensed as he turned toward his friend.
"She's no good. She's using you and she's going to hurt you. It's almost as if she takes pleasure in destroying men. You aren't the first one she's played with like this, and you won't be the last."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's time you heard the truth. She's a slut . . ."
Ben didn't get any further, for Daniel hit him with all his might, sending him sprawling backward onto his bed.
"Don't talk about her that way," Daniel ground out, standing over Ben, furious.
"Listen to me . . ." Ben began again as he struggled to his feet, gingerly wiping the blood from his cut mouth with the back of his hand.
"Good-bye, Ben."
"You're going to regret not listening to me . . ."
"I already regret that I listened to what I did."
"Well, you're going to regret it even more!"
Daniel had already slammed out of the room, leaving Ben staring after him, his heart heavy with the fear that he'd lost his friendship forever.
Hilary was waiting for Daniel when he arrived at their meeting place, her friend Janis's house.
"I'm so glad you could come tonight," she said huskily as she led him into the parlor.
"Where's Janis?"
"Gone, and so is her whole family, and I've dismissed the servants. We have the entire house to ourselves."
Their eyes met and passion flared between them.
"But first, champagne . . ." Hilary poured them each a glass of the fine wine and lifted hers to him in salute.
"To us," she breathed.
Daniel rarely drank, but tonight, after his confrontation with Ben, he needed something to lighten his spirits. He didn't respond to her toast, but downed the glass and waited for her to pour him another.
"Are you hungry?"
"No. Food's the last thing on my mind." He wanted to feel her body against him so he could erase the haunting harshness of Ben's words from his memory.
Hilary needed no other encouragement. She took the empty glass from him and set it aside with hers, then took his hand and led him to the bedroom she'd already prepared for them. Candles flickered, casting the room in a golden glow, and the bed was invitingly turned down. She'd been planning this seduction for a long time and wanted everything to be perfect. Closing and locking the door behind them, she turned back to Daniel and began to unbutton his shirt.
"Tonight, no one will interfere. Tonight, it will just be the two of us."
"Yes." His mouth covered hers as he brushed her hands aside and finished unbuttoning his shirt himself. That done, he sought out the buttons at the back of her gown and unfastened them. When the kiss ended, she stepped away from him and slipped out of her gown. She stood before him unclothed, and he was shocked and excited to discover that she'd worn nothing beneath it.
Hilary walked sinuously to the bed and lay down upon it. She lifted her arms to him in welcome. His blood was pounding in his veins as he moved toward her, shedding his clothes as he went. Daniel meant to be tender with her, but she would have none of it. The moment they touched, she became a wildcat. Tonight, she would no longer deny herself. Tonight, she would prove that he was her slave.
Caught up in the firestorm of her need, his usual rigid control eased by the potent champagne, Daniel was caught up in Hilary's wild fervor. She moved restlessly beneath him, caressing him boldly, begging him to take her. When at last he entered her, she moaned his name in ecstasy and raked her nails down his back, branding him with her mark. The pain she
inflicted drove him on, and he thrust harder into her hot depths. Their fierce passions roiled in a cauldron of lust until the sound of her crying out to him in her own pleasure took him to his. Panting from the exertion of their violent mating, they collapsed together.
They rested only a short time before Hilary reached for him and aroused him again. She spun her sensual web around him, trapping him with the power of her desire, and he was her willing captive.
The night was a tumultuous one for Daniel. When he returned to the dormitory, he was glad to find Ben asleep. He was in no mood to have another fight with him, and fight him he would have, because he believed he was in love.
Days passed, and with graduation only a short time away, Daniel began to think seriously about his future. He made his decision quickly. The excitement he felt when he was with Hilary convinced him that they were meant to be together. He wanted to spend his future with her, so he went to a jeweler's and purchased a modest ring. He could hardly wait to see her again, to ask her to become his wife and the mother of his children.
A note from Hilary arrived just after he returned to his room with the ring. He was thrilled to discover that she wanted him to meet her in the garden of her house later that evening. Thinking this would be the perfect night to propose, he eagerly awaited the appointed hour.
Kyle was furious as he rode toward Hilary's home, but he knew he only had to hide that fierce emotion for a few more hours. It was almost over, and when it was, he was going to have what he'd always craved—Daniel's complete humiliation.
When he and Hilary had made their wager about Daniel, Kyle knew he would be the winner, whatever the outcome. If Hilary tamed Daniel, Kyle would make certain that he would be humiliated when the truth came out, and if she didn't tame him, he'd still have her in his bed to do with as he pleased.
Either alternative had suited Kyle just fine in the beginning, but it seemed to him now that something had changed with Hilary. He had bedded her several times since the night of the bet, but the last time he'd taken her earlier that week, she'd been less than responsive. It had seemed as if she were holding back from him. He hadn't quite been able to figure out what the difference was, but he knew he was not imagining it. Then, when he'd learned through one of his numerous sources that Daniel had bought a ladies' ring, it had become obvious to him that Hilary was keeping a lot of things from him. It wasn't just a lark to her anymore. Obviously, she'd tamed the breed, but had enjoyed bedding him so much she hadn't wanted it to end.
