Calinda stirred, her green eyes dreamily focused on his tawny gaze. She caressed his tanned cheek and nestled against his coppery frame, sighing contentedly. In Calinda’s whiskey- and laudanum-dulled mind, all she heard was the mingled pounding of passion’s fiery blood and the muffled instructions of her bronzed lover. As his lips and hands worked magic upon her quivering body, his voice and face vanquished all but this undeniable craving to forge their bodies and hearts. What knowledge instinct didn’t supply, he did.
Calinda relaxed into the softness of the bed, allowing him full control of the situation and abandoning her will to his. When the wildly wonderful invasion became too bittersweet to simply enjoy, Calinda feverishly matched his movements. Their bodies and spirits blended into one driving force, one commitment to shared pleasure.
Calinda’s senses reeled with the exquisite enticements. In the pit of her womanhood, an aching need fused with ecstatic delight. She was striving urgently for a goal she didn’t comprehend until she was forcefully rocked by the stunning climax to her sensual drama. Her body stiffened momentarily, then tingled and warmed. Her hold on her dream lover tightened; her lips meshed with his as entreating moans slipped from her throat. Her body writhed and pressed upward to glue her moist flesh to his until each rapturous spasm ceased. After willingly sharing this intoxicating and enlightening experience, she settled down to savor the tranquil aftermath.
Calinda’s cheek lay against his chest, her eyes closed dreamily. His strong fingers wandered through her silky hair and over her naked shoulders as his lips dropped tiny kisses over her temple. Her head moved slightly as she relished the feel of his damp and firm shoulder against her satiny cheek; she inhaled the manly fragrance which filled her nostrils. She felt so warm, safe, and happy in his arms, so empty of cares and doubts. Like a newly bloomed flower in a field of ripened wheat, she was totally content to be a part of his golden domain.
As her fingers played with dampened curls on his muscled chest, a mellow voice rent the romantic silence when it murmured, “I’ve never met a woman so beautiful and innocent, yet so skillful she steals your mind. I’m afraid you’re going to be unforgettable. I surely wish I didn’t have to ride out at dawn.”
The Ranger inhaled deeply, then allowed the air to escape his lungs quietly. He hugged her tightly, then chuckled as he questioned his good fortune, “Why me, love? You could have any male around.” He knew now that he had never experienced real passion until tonight, until this female. Never had he been so aware of each instant of lovemaking. It was so different with her, so stimulating, so consuming, so utterly satisfying. Yep, there was plenty to learn from this unique treasure.
Even as he spoke these words, the laudanum and whiskey were gradually losing their potent and witdulling effects. The reality of the naked body cuddled next to hers registered in her whirling brain, as did the implication of their intimate position. She swallowed with difficulty, gaping at the brawny chest within inches of her wide eyes, fearing to lift her head to view the face of her mysterious lover.
Her movements caught his attention. He opened amber eyes to discover startled green ones locked on him. He smiled, causing her stupefied gaze to rivet to his sensual lips, then back to his beguiling gaze. Instantly, he knew something was amiss.
Calinda blinked her eyes and shook her head to test this shocking reality. She knew this man—didn’t she? From where? When? How had she come to be in bed with this handsome devil, naked in his strong arms? Why was she boldly fondling his chest! How could she recognize his face and voice, and yet not know his name or when they met? Remember…Her fantasy …The mental pictures which flashed across her warring brain stunned her. It hadn’t been a dream?
When she tried to free herself, the golden stranger refused to release her. “Let go of me, you beast,” she ordered hoarsely, shoving at the immovable chest. “If I had a gun, I’d kill you,” she warned as her voice strengthened. What black magic had lured her into this compelling demon’s bed? He was behaving as if he owned her body and soul! “Take your filthy hands off me!” she panted when he retained his painlessly firm embrace as his piercing eyes observed her.
When the girl began to thrash angrily like a frenzied badger in a steel trap, he captured her wrists and pinned her nude body beneath his. “What the hell!” he stormed at her unexpected behavior. “What’s wrong with you, woman? You make love to me, then attack me like a wildcat! Calm down and explain yourself!”
“You break into my room and ravish me, then act the victim? Release me this instant, you vile brute! I’ll have you arrested for this wicked crime against me. I’ll scream,” she warned as his tawny eyes frosted visibly at her threat. Calinda had been about to fight him tooth and nail for her freedom, but his glacial stare inspired trepidation and warned her to use caution and defensive guile. She must get free.
“Your room? Ravish you?” he repeated the unexpected charges, then chuckled at their absurdity. “I don’t know what trick you’re trying to pull on me, but it won’t work. Sorry if I hurt you, green eyes, but you should have warned me you’d never made love before. Still it doesn’t justify you accusing me of rape. As for breaking into your room, that’s another mistake in this scheme of yours,” he mockingly scolded. “Didn’t Nelle warn you to stay out of my private quarters? I know you’re new here, but it’s dangerous to sneak into a fellow’s room and bed.” He didn’t smile as he watched the curious array of emotions which came and went on her ashen face.
“Your room and bed?” she echoed in sarcastic fury, instantly recalling Nelle’s allusion to this being a privately owned room. His?
“Yep. You were lying in wait for me tonight, weren’t you? How’d you know I’d be arriving so soon after you hired on? Besides what made you believe I wouldn’t toss you out on your pretty tail? I must confess, you were a nice surprise.” Having been the first man in her life, he felt great relief, excitement, and heady power. Could she be persuaded to become his private property? She was too lovely and unique to endure a whorish life.
His mocking words were frightfully enlightening. “I wasn’t waiting here for you or anyone! If this is your private room, then Nelle made a terrible mistake. I’m not a saloon girl; I’d never work in a horrible place like this. Even if what you claim is true, you still assaulted me!” she hotly accused. “Get off me!”
“Not until you explain what you’re doing naked in my bed,” he flatly refused. “Either speak up, or well be here like this all night.”
Calinda was panicked by his determination. She tried to forget her innocent part in his wild charade. Was he the owner of this room? Had he mistaken her identity and reason for being here? What harm could the truth do? “Nelle let me stay here tonight because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I was robbed today outside town on the stagecoach.”
“Then why didn’t you say something or stop me?” he asked, an uneasy feeling washing over him, one oddly mingled with elation.
“I was too dazed. It must have been the sleeping drug Nelle gave me.” As she eyed his bare chest, she swallowed loudly. Tears welled in her limpid eyes as she fought to move away from his warm touch, his flesh like a soft coppery blanket stretched tightly over a sturdy and exquisitely molded frame of iron.
The Ranger was just as disquieted and confounded as she was. To his acute dismay, he discovered himself in the novel position of feeling ashamed and thoroughly unsettled. He needed to get to the bottom of this dark well of mystery.
If she was telling the truth about being in his room and being drugged, that meant…Those arresting green eyes bright with unshed tears plagued him. “When I found you sprawled in my bed with little but your skin on, what was I supposed to think? You told me Nelle sent you, and you said you wanted to be here with me! Darnit, woman, you kept smiling at me and encouraging me! You did respond to me, green eyes, like no other female I’ve known,” he defensively asserted. “The bartender told be about a new girl with fiery locks.”
Those shocking remarks caused h
er to miss his last statement which would have clarified the misunderstanding. “What kind of beast ravishes a woman while she’s senseless!” she charged angrily. “Even if Nelle made a mistake letting me sleep here, you didn’t have to take advantage of me! Would you rape any woman found in your bed?” she berated him, as hazy memories of their lovemaking, alarming memories which she pushed aside, unclouded in her steadily clearing mind. “You’re no better than those outlaws who attacked and robbed me, or those selfish people in this town who wouldn’t even help me! How dare you mistake me for a wh…saloon girl.”
“You can’t put all the blame for this mistake on me. What kind of father would turn loose an innocent beauty like you to go roaming around in a dangerous territory? Nelle was crazy to put you in my bed dressed like that. Nobody uses this room but me. Any man would have lost his head in a set-up like this!”
“Evidently Nelle wasn’t expecting you, but she could have warned me. And I wasn’t ‘roaming around’! I was riding a stage under guard. How do you people live under such violent conditions? Who are you?” she abruptly asked the rigid stranger with eyes entreating and piercing.
“Tex,” he offered, not wanting her to learn his identity and risk complications. With luck, she would be gone tomorrow. At least, he would be. Instantly that knowledge piqued him. How could he leave her in trouble and danger, without money or protection? He knew nothing about virgins—had he hurt her on this first sexual encounter?
“Considering I’m partly to blame for this…mix-up, I’ll give you some money to get home,” he offered sullenly, failing to comprehend why he was speaking and acting in this insensitive way. He was having a terrible time holding his tough exterior in place.
Humiliated and angered, Calinda inhaled sharply. “You vile scoundrel! Your money can’t pay for this outrage! Get out of here!” she ordered coldly, pounding on the sturdy chest. She needed solitude to decide how to deal with this staggering episode.
“Aren’t you forgetting this is my room? If you don’t like my company, dress and leave,” he playfully suggested, waiting for her next move in this stimulating contest of wills. “I want to help you.”
“What?” she blurted, staring at him. He had casually stolen her purity and was now tossing her out of this questionable room? She had no clothes or money! He wouldn’t dare! He was the villain here!
“Get a room at the hotel,” he added, grinning roguishly. “I apologized for my error, but I could lose control of myself again,” he hinted, rolling to his side and propping on his left elbow to observe her.
“Error? You call what you did a simple error?” she demanded sarcastically, emerald eyes narrowed in outrage and distress.
“My first one,” he informed her, as if shocked himself, then chuckled at her expression. “I guess I’m not perfect after all,” he added.
Incensed, Calinda snapped. “You’re despicable!”
“I’ve been called worse,” he casually parried her insult.
“You are,” she added, gritting her teeth at her helpless position. She had believed it could be no worse, but it was. She had no possessions or a weapon. Even her sharp wits were betraying her! She hated her scant choices. Either she could summon the sheriff and let everyone know she had been ravished by this carefree devil, or she could dress and leave as he so insensitively suggested. If she didn’t accept his money, the hotel wouldn’t accept her. If she did, she would be no better than the girls here who sold their bodies! Damn him!
“You’re right, Callie,” he agreed contritely as he witnessed her dilemma. She was so beautiful and vulnerable. “Callie what?”
“None of your business,” she said frostily. When she found her father, she would have him discover this man’s name and punish him! But punish him without permanently staining her reputation!
“Go to sleep, Callie. I’m exhausted. I promise you’ll be safe tonight,” he suddenly coaxed her, sounding serious and looking sincere. To steady his own nerves, the cowboy sat up and turned his back for a drink. Calinda couldn’t help but see that the twisted sheet didn’t conceal his firm buttocks. After the whiskey was poured and downed, he sat quietly for a time.
Calinda was about to spew forth another stinging tirade. When she turned in that direction, she couldn’t speak. Caught unaware by the sight which greeted her gaze, she helplessly allowed her entranced eyes to wander over his coppery body of rippling muscles. He was lean and tall, his skin was smooth and unscarred. His tawny hair curled under at his nape and was full and wavy. Calinda found herself wondering who and what he was, this cunning seducer. When his hand went up to ruffle his hair, she stared at it, recalling how sensuously it had tormented and stimulated her body. The white statues of Apollo and Adonis couldn’t match the perfection of his golden body. Growing warm and tense, she hurriedly pulled her eyes away from him.
“Well?” he split the silence, bemused by her lack of vengeful threats from her family and the law. He abruptly recalled her mumblings about no home and family. Maybe she had been dreaming. He was instinctively aware of her previous scrutiny. “Staying or leaving?” he clarified unnecessarily. “You know how it’ll look if you traipse over to the hotel at this hour in that outfit? You can go to the law if you wish, but I wouldn’t advise it. I didn’t rape you, love. You know I’ll have to tell my side of this mix-up. We’re trapped together, Callie. Admit it and turn in. I know this has been a frightening day for you, a crazy experience for both of us. But I swear I won’t hurt you or touch you again.” His voice was as soft and warm as a summer day.
“Stay here with you?” she furiously scoffed, vexed by the way his words and voice affected her. “You’re mad!” To gain thinking distance, she snatched the discarded coverlet and wound it about her trembling body. Being naked made her feel even more defenseless and hazyheaded! She wanted to pounce on him and beat him soundly; but she knew she hadn’t the strength to hurt him. She couldn’t allow him to go free, unpunished. But it was foolish to provoke him tonight; her revenge must be postponed until she had favorable odds.
“Why not? You have my word I won’t…” he began.
“Don’t you dare turn around!” she shrieked, adjusting the protective covering as humorous chuckles escaped him.
To appease her distraught senses, he relented to her panicky request. “It’s easy to see you’re a lady who’s found herself in a perilous and embarrassing position. In spite of what happened earlier, I’m not a heartless animal. I don’t force myself on any woman, especially not on a defenseless creature as beautiful and delicate as you. I can’t erase tonight, but I can offer you my protection and hospitality.”
“How chivalrous,” she sneered, eyeing him suspiciously. Somehow she sensed she could trust him. Why, she couldn’t explain or comprehend, unless it was the look in his mesmeric eyes or the tone to his stirring voice. Small rays of gentleness filtered through the tiny holes she had pierced in his hard facade, illuminating traits she found strange and pleasing. “I’ll find Nelle and see if she has another place I can sleep.”
“I wouldn’t disturb here, she’s busy with her sweetheart. Besides, this is the safest room here, even with me in it. I doubt the customers and working girls will take kindly to you tapping on their doors this time of night. Where were you heading?” he inquired.
Calinda cautiously lied, “To a town called Austin. My father’s there and I was heading to join him. I’ve been in school back East.” It was absurd to be carrying on a conversation with this rake.
Perceptive, the man knew she had spoken only halftruths, but he didn’t want to reveal excessive interest by pressing her or contradicting her. She should have known those lucid green eyes read as easily as a marked trail. Too bad he didn’t have time to study this exquisite girl more closely. He could sense her uncertainty and fear. She reminded him of a trapped rabbit, and twinges of remorse and tenderness pulled at his heart and mind. He was about to tell her she could stay in his room as long as necessary, but ruefully changed his mind. Once she contac
ted her father and revealed tonight’s events, he didn’t need an irate father tampering with his tight schedule or endangering his secret identity. They would meet again—Callie couldn’t be difficult to trace…
“Evidently you have no intention of leaving, so I will. Would you please wait outside while I dress?” she said in an acid tone. “After what you did, you would leave me alone if you were any kind of gentleman.” When the trailing coverlet tangled her bare feet, the top portion nearly escaped her tight grip as she reached for the bedpost to steady her balance. He wouldn’t be grinning if she could reach one of his guns! But if she made a try for it, he would be on her in a moment. Besides, she didn’t know how to use it!
He laughed as her cheeks burned a vivid red, aware of her longing gaze on his Colts. Her dismissal of that idea revealed her intelligence, not cowardice. When she glared at him, he playfully crossed his heart and huskily vowed, “I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman, Callie. If I hadn’t been sleeping on the hard ground for weeks, I’d sleep on the floor. Been looking forward to my soft bed and there isn’t enough cover to make a comfortable pallet. I’m afraid that sofa’s too short for a man six-four,” he added before she could suggest it. “This bed’s big enough to share. If I was truly a dangerous brute, Callie, I could hold you here by force or just as easily toss you out. Come to bed. We’re both tired and confused.”
First Love Wild Love Page 4
