“Well, the Cubans will just have to share in the responsibility. I can’t come up with any more money. I’ve done more than my share.”
“Let’s tell Torres and Chavous we have the order and we’re ready to sail.” Dan suggested.
“What happens when we anchor and they discover the shortage?” Rachel reasoned. “You planning to dump the cases and flee before it is? They would be so furious about being tricked, they’d send Torres and Chavous back for the rest or for our heads.”
“They’re only messengers and escorts, love. They don’t have the power to make decisions or changes. We need to see their leader and reason with him. Once he learns the whole story, he’ll have to work with us to solve the rest.”
“You’re right, Dan. Besides, we need to discover who Phillip was talking about as our ‘only hope.’ Somebody must be there who can help us.”
Dan decided to let Rachel think she was going along, but it was too dangerous. He would leave her behind at the last minute, along with two of his men for protection. “Let’s get these crates loaded on the ship. We’ll talk more later. Luke, get things ready tomorrow for sailing Thursday at dawn. Rachel you get packed tomorrow. When we see those rebels in the morning, we’ll put our plan into motion… I’m starved. Who’s for a delicious dinner?”
“Here come the boys with wagons,” the first mate said. “I’ll take care of these crates, then stay on the ship tonight, if it’s all right, Captain. I’ll meet you at the hotel at breakfast.”
“That’s perfect, Luke. Thanks,” he said with a grin and a wink. “Well, woman, do you want to join me for dinner, say, the Pirate’s House?”
Rachel realized Luke Conner had given them the evening alone for more than sharing a meal and conversation. Dare she risk spending the night in Dan’s hotel room? What if they were still being watched?
Chapter 20
As Dan slipped into bed with Rachel, he yearned to embrace and kiss her. Both knew what loomed before them in the next few weeks, especially during the next two days. Even death for one or both could loom on the cloudy horizon. Tonight they would love as if it was their last night on earth. Tonight they would soar toward rapture’s heaven on the wings of passion. Later they would worry about the perils confronting them.
Dan lay beside Rachel to hold and caress her. The hotel room was secure, and one lamp cast a soft and dreamy glow on their bodies. For a while, Dan made love to her with his eyes. He stored up exquisite images to carry him through the days of separation ahead, as he would not allow her to sail to the hazardous meeting in the Cuban stronghold. It was possible he wouldn’t come out of this alive, and he couldn’t risk her life, too. Yet he must do all he could to free her from that threat. His gaze roamed her face and body with tantalizing leisure. He saw a flush of arousal spread over her.
Rachel experienced an odd mixture of tension and relaxation. His gaze was so potent, so enticing, so flattering. Tingles and warmth raced over her. She felt as if she were being teased and pleasured simultaneously. She did nothing to hurry or to slow his thrilling sport.
Dan came forward until his bare chest made contact with hers. His lips ever so lightly brushed over her waiting mouth. His fingers trailed over her face as if mapping it in detail. He pressed kisses to every feature, then rained more down her throat. His mouth halted to bring the brown peaks of her breasts to life with loving moisture and titillating flicks of his tongue.
Rachel groaned as he ignited and fanned her smoldering desires into a raging fire. She savored and craved the way his hands roved her pliant body. As one hand drifted over her stomach, it tightened with anticipation of its continued trek toward her womanhood. She was stirred and tempted and could not keep from pulling his mouth back to hers. She wanted to taste him, to feel him, to surrender totally. Her hands traveled his body as they stroked his tanned flesh and admired its appeal. She closed her eyes to let her unbridled senses absorb everything about Dan and the blissful journey they were beginning.
Dan’s loins ached for an urgent fusion of their bodies, but he mastered the urge to move too swiftly. He nuzzled her neck and ear as his nose inhaled her heady fragrance. His fingertips grazed her skin and admired its firm suppleness. He felt as if he had gulped ten bottles of potent whiskey, as she utterly inebriated his senses.
Rachel’s fingers wandered into Dan’s sable hair, loving the feel of it against her skin. She relished trailing them over his hard chest and sleek torso. With bravery and boldness, her hand worked its way lower and lower, over his taut abdomen, past lean hips, and to his manly region. Her fingers curled around his rigid shaft and stroked the fiery member that instantly responded to her touch. Her mouth melded with his as their tongues danced in fiery abandon.
Dan’s lips returned to the rosy-brown nubs on her breasts and blissfully tormented them to increase her hunger for him. He vowed this would be a night she would never forget. His hands kneaded the flesh of her breasts and he gently worked at the buds on them. He felt bathed in wondrous sensation. He was calm yet his body felt as tight as a rope. He felt in control yet was spinning in a whirlpool of unleashed emotions. He grasped her firm buttocks and fondled them before pressing her feminine core snugly against him.
Rachel was captivated and enchanted by Dan. He was aroused to the point of driving within her with swift urgency but was sensitive and caring to her needs and pleasures. She wanted to tell him to enter her to appease his hunger, but she let him decide when the time was perfect. Her thrusting peaks were responsive to his sweet torments. She writhed as his fingers trailed up and down her sides, across her back, along her spine, and finally into her fuzzy brown triangle. The straining bud pulsed and heated at his attention. Her anticipation and desires increased. Soon her head was thrashing on the pillow as his deft finger entered her and dashed aside any lingering control and reality.
Mindless with desire, Rachel’s hands moved up and down Dan’s back with speed and pressure. They teased over sinewy muscles that rippled with his stirring movements, wandered to his taut buttocks. He had stolen her wits and was driving her wild with a fierce craving for him. Her fingers toyed in the crisp black hair around the root of his manhood. She felt him trailing kisses down her stomach and shifting his position to continue along her thighs, taking him out of her reach. When he brushed kisses over the pulsing spot that only he had pleasured, she stiffened in confusion. She lifted her head and looked at him, questioning the unknown experience and intense sensations he was evoking.
Dan sent her an encouraging smile that told her to relax. His strong and gentle hands stroked the silky inner surface of her thighs, each time just barely making contact with the inflamed area. One finger lovingly massaged the delicate peak as another slipped within her secret haven to create a pattern that matched that of his manhood when it was thrusting within her. The moisture and heat of her paradise told him she was eager and ready to accept and enjoy any pleasure he wished to give her.
Rachel remembered how she had thought that the physical act was either ugly and painful or something to be endured or only for a man’s satisfaction. With the right man, though, it was clearly beautiful, magical, enslaving, and inspiring. For her, Daniel Slade was that man, the only man, the one who could entice her total and willing surrender. He could make her starve for his contact, feed her ravenous body until she was thoroughly sated, then leave her craving her next meal of his sensual treats. He reclaimed her strayed attention as he continued his loving assault on her senses. His mouth, tongue, and fingers, gave her pleasures she had not known existed. She squirmed as tension mounted within her. She wanted to relax, but couldn’t. She was taut with anticipation of what she instinctively knew would be marvelous. Passion’s flames licked at her body and seared it with his brand of ownership.
Dan realized she had reached the point of fiery abandon. He moved atop her, covered her mouth with his, and entered her moistness with a gasp. As if insatiable, she matched his pattern and labored with him. His lips greedily drank from the ne
ctar of her mouth and hardened nipples. She was moaning and clinging to him. Her tongue teased over his lips. Her mouth was insistent upon his, then ardently fastened to his. He noticed how she kept pace with his movements as they worked in unison toward the same goal. He was coaxed to increase his ardent endeavors to give her supreme satisfaction. As bliss exploded within her, she nibbled at his shoulder and clung tightly to his body.
Dan was charged with energy. He discarded his self-control and scaled the summit to capture passion’s peak at her side. His release stole his breath and shook his body. He didn’t halt his labors until he was breathless and appeased, as was she.
A golden aftermath of the heady lovemaking settled within them. Both felt limp and fulfilled. Their hearts surged with love and peace. Their spirits were united, as their bodies still were interlocked. They hugged, then parted, to lie close in the intimate setting.
Rachel gazed at Dan. Though his prowess in lovemaking was immeasurable, he was so gentle and giving. She wiped beads of perspiration from his face and smiled into his twinkling blue eyes. Her adoring gaze lingered a moment on the white teeth revealed by his smile. Her fingers traced his strong and handsome features, then wandered into his damp ebony hair. Her gaze locked with his.
Dan knew he was viewing love and trust and contentment in her whiskey-colored depths. He was proud and pleased. He shifted to kiss her and to cuddle her possessively. “You’re mine, woman, tonight and forever,” he murmured as his teeth nibbled at her ear.
Rachel squirmed and giggled at the tickling sensation. “You are the most magnificent and unique man alive, Daniel Slade. If we did this every night, I could never tire of you or having you like this.”
“Good, because I’m a greedy and demanding lover.”
“Every time you take me, you give me exquisite pleasure. You’re so generous and thoughtful. One day, you’ll teach me enough so I can torment you and sate you in these same ways.”
“Does that mean you’ll agree to keep me around?”
“Except when you’re at sea, I want you at my side day and night. I, too, have become greedy and demanding. I’ll make you the best mistress you could ever find or train.” She waited for his response to those words.
Dan refused to pressure her. He was positive she loved him and wanted him. When everything was resolved, she would marry him, because he wouldn’t let her say no. “That’s an irresistible offer and a promise, love.”
Rachel grasped what his hesitation meant and smiled. “Yes, it is.”
“I hate to roust you from this warm and tempting bed, woman, but it will be easier to get you home unseen at this hour than in the morning.”
“You’re right. I hate to leave, but it’s safest for us. I’ll’ get dressed.” As she did so, she said, “I’m glad we ate up here instead of in a restaurant.”
“It was sneaky of me, slipping you and the food in here.”
“It certainly was, my sly hero. Just think… in two days, we’ll be sailing the tropical seas. I wish… Will I see you tomorrow?”
“No, we both have many tasks. I’ll see you when you come into town on Wednesday. You’ll spend the night here, then board my ship just before sailing time Thursday morning. I don’t want you around tomorrow and Wednesday while we’re loading supplies and those arms, in case we have problems with customs. If that paper isn’t in order and legal, I don’t want you getting into more trouble. I won’t, because I got it from Phillip and Harry, so I have an excuse for not knowing it was faked.”
As she brushed her hair, she watched him in the mirror as he donned his garments. “You will send word if there’s a problem?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. I think everything will go fine. You can take care of messages to Harry and Milton late Wednesday. Better still, leave them to be delivered Thursday after we sail. We don’t want interference with our departure.” After I’m gone, you won’t need to tell them.
Rachel didn’t remind him she wasn’t supposed to leave town, but she wasn’t going to the police station to ask Chief Anderson’s permission! She wanted to be with Dan, to make certain he wasn’t blamed and punished for the shortage, and to spend time learning about his lifestyle. That would tell her if he could give up his adventurous existence or she could fit into it.
Rachel talked with her housekeeper as she packed, “I have to take this trip, Lula Mae, to finish that important business hanging over my head. If all goes well, I’ll be paid a lot of money and our troubles will be over. When I return, if the police don’t shut my file on Phillip’s death, I’ll have the money to hire a lawyer to force it closed. I want everything settled, so our lives can return to normal. It should take about two weeks. If those investigators come calling again, tell them I had to take care of business and I’ll contact them the moment I’m back.”
“But they told you not to leave, Miss Rachel. You’ll git in trouble.”
“Maybe, but I have to take that risk. Settling this deal is the answer to all my problems. Besides, if I’m away, whoever is playing those tricks on me will be thwarted and I’ll be safe. This is the only choice I can make at this time. You stay on guard so you won’t get hurt while I’m gone.”
“I’ll be worried silly till you git back. Where you going?”
“I can’t tell you; it’s a secret, the client’s order. This deal is big and important; we can’t risk someone forcing the truth from you or anyone.”
“I wouldn’t tell nobody.”
“Not on purpose. Please understand, and I’ll explain everything later.”
“Wills Captain Slade be guarding you?”
“Yes, and Luke Conner, too. I won’t be alone with Dan, so don’t worry.”
“I won’t stop worryin’ till you’re home again. Why cain’t Mr. Clements go?”
“This was Phillip’s deal and there are problems with it. I have to go straighten them out and save it. Harry refuses. He’s still angry with me about tricking him after Phillip’s death. We have the arms company up for sale, but there won’t be any profit from it, just debts paid off. That leaves me with the plantation to replace lost earnings from the three companies. I plan to start farming the rest of the land as soon as possible, maybe grow cotton or indigo, to supplement our income from the sharecroppers. I’ll have to depend on you and Burke to help out more. We’ll probably have to hire more workers, too. That takes money. But we’ll do fine. We’ll make a real plantation out of Moss Haven. Won’t that be—”
Rachel straightened from folding her garments and listened. “Someone is knocking on the door. See if it’s the message I’m expecting.”
When Lula Mae returned, she handed Rachel a paper that told her it was time to set their daring ruse into motion.
“I have to run an errand nearby. I won’t be gone long.”
“I’m supposed to go check on Mrs. Willis. I’ll goes while you’re gone. I’ll help you finish packing when we both git back.”
“That’s perfect, Lula Mae. Burke and the boys are working outside so the house will be safe from more pranks.”
Rachel watched the older woman ride off in one direction in the carriage as she galloped off on horseback in the other. She was surprised, and perhaps a bit intrigued, by how well Lula Mae had taken the news about her impending trip. Perhaps it was a result of her clever disclosures about how they would soon be living. It might be the truth, as she should wait a while before marrying Daniel Slade. It wouldn’t be fair to Phillip or good for her stained reputation to disallow a proper mourning period. No matter her final decision, it kept the nosy housekeeper off her back for now.
Rachel reached the location and dismounted. She saw Carlos smile when he noticed she had come alone. She ignored the irascible Joaquin and focused on the raffish leader of the two rebels.
“You no longer fear me, Raquel; you come alone; that is bueno.”
“So is my news, Mr. Torres. The ship is being supplied and your crates are being loaded today and tomorrow. Dan wants you to board the Merry Wind at
five o’clock tomorrow afternoon. We set sail at dawn the next morning. To prevent any trouble at the last minute, the ship will move to the end of the channel and anchor there until departure time. Agreed?”
“You have the arms, ammunitions and explosives?”
“Everything is ready to be delivered. Dan’s crew has been on shore leave, so they’re being located and called aboard for sailing.”
Carlos smiled and complimented, “I knew you would not fail me.”
“You have no idea how hard and stressful this has been for me. If that’s all for now, I have to get home and finish packing for the voyage.”
Carlos showed his surprise. “You are sailing with us?”
“Yes. I want to make certain the cargo I’ve paid for gets to the right client. If anything goes wrong again, I can’t put another one together. This deal is my work and my money, and I’m going to protect it until it reaches your leader’s hands. If that missing money is ever found, it’s mine. Is that understood?”
“Sí, Raquel. You have done well. I hope you find the dinero.”
“So do I, because I’m penniless. Every cent I could get my hands on went toward paying for this order all of you held me responsible for. The only reason I complied was to live. You don’t know how tempted I was to tell all of you to go to the devil. But I knew you would hurt my family and friends.”
“It is over; no more threats or dangers. We are amigos.”
“I hope so. If the Spanish attack us along the way, Dan won’t let them board or confiscate his ship. You will guarantee our safety in Cuba? Once the order is delivered, we’re free to go unharmed? No tricks or betrayals?”
“No Cuban rebel will harm you, Raquel. You have my word of honor.”
“And that of your leader?”
“Si, mi lider, too. After our bargain is met, we part as amigos.”
“One last question, Mr. Torres: do you swear you’re innocent of all the threats and attacks we’ve received?”
Promise Me Forever Page 43
