"Why was that? What of your child? You did not finish your story," Blair stated, stilling as she heard sadness in his voice. She gingerly sank down next to him and waited.
Sloan reached to the ground and picked up a rock. He studied it for a moment before throwing it against the red shelf of a sheer cliff. "The boy was not mine. I told you ours was a marriage of convenience. Leila enjoyed the attention of men and found herself with child. I met her at an event while I was visiting my family in Boston. Her family had taken a holiday at the end of picking season and went to the city to take in the social life for a month. She was beautiful, and older, and I was so young and naive," he sighed. "The sound of her laughter from the ballroom caught my attention. I asked her to dance, and she graciously accepted. We kissed in the garden that evening, and she found her way into my bed the following day. I was quite green about women then, and she was several years my senior, once widowed. She taught me things that I never would have imagined to exist between a man and woman. Some incredibly wonderful—and delightfully decadent—things." His voice drifted as he was lost in thought.
"What happened? Please tell me," Blair asked, shifting herself on the uneven stone. The tenderness from her discipline had not faded much with the long wagon ride.
Sloan startled, jarred from his memories. He tossed another rock. "I asked her father if I could court her. He was hesitant, oddly enough. I did not realize it at the time but he was trying to protect me from her. Leila and I were together for three weeks when she came to me, just two days prior to her returning to Alabama. She wept as she confessed her transgressions before meeting me and admitted that she was expecting. She was terrified of what would happen to her should her father discover her indiscretion when they returned to their home in Alabama. She begged me to marry her and take her to Texas with me, to spare her shame. She was beautiful and charming, and I was a fool. I thought that I would be able to satisfy her needs. We were married within the week and I took her to Texas as she requested, with a promise to raise the child as my own."
"How was it that her father permitted you to wed so quickly? Did he suspect?"
"We told him that the temptation was too great to ignore and begged his consent. He was reluctant, cautioning me that she was not accustomed to life outside of the plantation and that she might have difficulty adjusting to the ways of the West. He was correct. We enjoyed our marriage bed, but that was the only thing we could stand about each other. She gave birth to a boy six months after we were wed. He was a colicky baby, and she catered to his every need, even as he outgrew his condition. He became quite spoiled, always whining and throwing fits, and each year grew worse. She hovered over him, as though he were made of fancy china and never allowed me to discipline him or teach him any responsibilities. We fought harshly about her mothering skills, or lack of them, and her anger grew to be as great as one of her son's tantrums. That was also when she started making her rounds with other men."
"Why didn't you just, well, spank her?"
"I thought her too delicate at first and then grew to the place that I had no desire to be around her. When I am forced to discipline, it is because I want the relationship to go smoothly or I care about what happens to the gal. With my wife, there was no relationship, just obligation, and I had been pushed to the point that I no longer cared."
"I had never associated discipline with caring." Blair acknowledged, tracing a line in the ground with her toe.
"It comes from a place of wanting the best for the other person," Sloan explained. "A child who is loved receives both rewards and consequences for her behavior. Sometimes they don't always see these things for what they are. Children, as part of their nature, tend to be focused on their own needs and desires."
Blair joined him in pebble tossing. "Are you suggesting that my aunt loved me, and that was why she was so strict about my behavior? I always felt she did so for her own reputation, so the defiant, orphaned niece would not bring her disgrace."
"It might be true. Everyone has their own reasons to do things. Maybe that was the only way she knew to show her love for you."
"I don't wish to discuss that mean old woman. Please, continue your story, if it does not bother you to do so."
"Very well. Leila and I were together for five years when I was called to El Paso to escort some prisoners to trial. She took that opportunity to clean me out of every penny I had in savings and left. I did not bother to go after her and ventured south to start a new life for myself in a different territory. Less than two months later, I received word that patrolling rangers found her body about two miles from an Indian camp. She had apparently taken up her favorite activity and was entertaining men for money. It appeared that the bordello was raided, and the occupants were taken prisoner."
"That is simply terrible, Sloan! Did they find her son?"
Sloan sighed, looking into the sky, "Yes. There were no survivors."
"I don't understand. Why would the Indians do such a dreadful thing?"
"That was why the law was called in. The tribal leaders were aghast when the bodies were discovered and denied any knowledge. We received word that a bank robbery happened fifty miles south about three months earlier. That town's bordello was raided and all the occupants were murdered several miles out from a peaceful Indian camp. That led to the suspicion that a gang of outlaws was using local tribes to cover their tracks."
He paused, rattling some rocks in his palm. "Unfortunately, the town folk were not interested in investigating the truth behind these murders, nor did they choose to remember that this tribe were peaceful people who lived as farmers. Blood lust is an evil, ugly thing and turns intelligent people into scared predators. Even with evidence freeing the tribe of guilt, the town continued to hunt them down like animals and demanded the hanging of every injun they could find. The tribe eventually relocated."
Blair sat quietly, thinking of his words. She took in a deep breath. "It's obvious by the sound of your voice that you still had feelings for her, Sloan. I am sorry that this happened."
"She was one of twenty-three people who these men murdered. That sound in my voice is anger, not my feelings concerning her."
Blair relented and touched his shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with having those feelings. I feel like you think you don't deserve happiness, but you do. One day you will see it."
"I make my own happiness, kid. That's why I'm not the right man for you."
Blair looked down and blinked back disappointed tears, "… as I would not be the right woman for you. You are correct once again. I am too selfish and inexperienced to be able to give you what you need."
"You are young, yet. I would not say you are selfish, but more naïve. I also did not say you would not be the right woman for me. I said I was not the right man for you. Enough of this talk; we have things to do. Let's get a fire started and I'll rustle up some grub. How about you get the kettle ready for coffee and then clean up the guns like I showed you."
The conversation was definitely over. Sloan patted Blair's knee and stood up to gather firewood. Blair silently followed his example, pausing to stare at his broad back and square shoulders. He paused and turned around to look at her, catching her as she stared at him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing. I was just contemplating what my life would be like had someone really cared for me."
"I care for you, and I am certain your grandfather will as well. Speaking of caring, how is your bottom?"
Blair blushed, "It is causing me much discomfort. You saw my fidgeting upon the rock."
"You are hiding your tenderness well. If you would like, you may seat yourself in the stream for a spell."
"I would like that very much! Thank you. Will you be nearby to keep watch for me?"
Sloan's lips cracked into a small smile in response to Blair's grateful attitude. "I am not letting you out of my sight, Squirrel. Not for one second."
Chapter 6
Blair stripped down to her draw
ers and chemise and eased her aching body into the shallow running water just off the river's bank. Her teeth began to chatter immediately as the icy cold water touched her skin.
"Why is this so cold?" she called to the man who sat with his back angled away from her.
"It's coming from the snow melt off the mountains. The elevation is pretty high here, and there is snowfall seen sometimes into July. We are still early in the summer season, so we are gonna see our fair share of white."
"I don't see anything." Blair strained from her spot in the river to look around the burnt orange, shrub-covered pass.
"You will see plenty in the morning. How's that feeling on your rump?"
"I really wish you would not be so forward when you talk about my body," Blair stated, sinking back to wash her hair in the flowing water.
"Girl," he turned to look directly at her, "you asked me to make love to you, demanded I marry you, and then wanted to be certain I was present when you bathed. Being forward goes both ways."
"I am a shameful tart, for certain," Blair giggled. "Join me."
"I will not."
"You will become accustomed to the cold with the sun on your shoulders. Please?"
"Blair, my temptation to get into your bed is already beyond my will. Seeing your naked body through your underthings is torment. No."
"I do not mean to sound like a common street woman, Sloan. I merely wish to explore my desires without being limited."
"I understand that, but you must remember that in the pursuit of your desires, there are other people to consider. You are conflicted between what you desire and what you believe is right and proper. That type of conflict will only grant you trouble. No more of this."
"Yes, Sloan," Blair sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned back against a cropping of smooth rocks. The water ran over her shoulders and across the tips of her raised breasts, and she found herself curving her back in response to the sensation.
She allowed her mind to drift into the place where reality ceased to exist and fantasy ruled. A place where Sloan stood naked before her, his unpatched blue eye gazing at her body with both desire and appreciation. In this world, he reached towards her with strong, firm fingertips to caress her exposed skin. The softness of his touch rendered her helpless, forcing her body to sweep towards him. Those fingers began to tease and tantalize, slowly awakening the woman inside of her, giving her permission to release control and allow desire to overtake her senses.
Lost in thought and immersed in the image playing in her mind, Blair forgot that she was not alone. Her hand crept beneath the splashing current and eased under her chemise. She sharply inhaled as her fingers parted the seam of her drawers and found the hot, throbbing center of her womanhood. A single stroke of her fingertip, imagining it as his, brought an unfamiliar feeling of freedom. She craved his skin touching hers as she began to quietly moan, desperately seeking salvation from the aching emptiness of her body.
In the distance, she heard a man swear. Through lidded eyes, she watched as Sloan stripped his clothes, tossed aside his eye patch and eased into the cold water next to her. Gently, he reached for her wrist and pulled it out from the warm embrace of her thighs. His lips found her palm and pressed against the cup of her hand.
"This should not be happening," he said, his teeth grazing the inside of her wrist. "Only bad things can happen from this."
Blair said nothing in return as Sloan's mouth traveled to the crook of her elbow and mouthed the delicate skin. She shuddered as her ache grew more uncomfortable.
"This feeling I have," she breathed heavily, tilting her head back as he explored the skin of her throat. "It is like there is something inside of me that had been hidden and now is trying to claw its way out."
"It is passion," Sloan whispered into her lips, trailing his fingers down the back of her neck. His hot, moist breath skimmed across her cheek before meeting the damp indentations of her ear. "You are a creature of seduction and you have entranced me into your web. May I have you?"
"Now is not the time to play the perfect gentleman from Boston. Do not ask, Ranger Adkins. Take what you desire," Blair groaned as his mouth taunted her flesh, ripping away any resistance as his hands slid the thin fabric from her wet body. "My thoughts are so sinful, yet I have no strength to put the wicked things to rest."
"Tell me your thoughts, Blair. What type of wickedness dwells in your sweet mind?" He grabbed a handful of her long hair and firmly pulled her head back, forcing her to gaze into his eyes as he whispered her name. "Tell me all, Blair."
Blair gulped as the warmth of his breath tingled over her chilled flesh. His eyes held a hunger, a need that matched the passion she felt within her own soul. She was helpless to her own desire.
"I do not know the words," she whispered back, easing her hands along the breadth of his shoulders. "These feelings are unfamiliar and I know nothing about these things, other than what you told me."
"Try for me. Tell me what you hunger for," he demanded.
"I … I long to feel your desire deep within me. Filling me inside. My body wants to swallow your … you know."
"Say it, Blair. Say it," Sloan urged.
"I want you to fuck me with your cock," Blair said, suddenly slapping her hand over her mouth in horror.
Sloan chuckled, stroking her face. "That was not a phrase I was expecting. Where did you hear it?"
"I snuck behind a door and listened to the stablemaster. I did not know what it meant," Blair confessed. "The woman sounded like she was enjoying herself thoroughly. I asked Madeline, and she ran out of the room with her hand over her mouth."
"Well, how about you let me show you what it means." Sloan's lips hovered within inches of her tightly crinkled nipples as his hand glided down to rest in a hot embrace over her pounding heart. He placed her hand over his chest. "Feel my heart beat as strongly as yours, Blair. You affect me in ways that I have never felt before. I know I should not take you here, no matter how willing you are."
"No, you should not," she mumbled as his tongue flicked and teased the bare flesh of her pebbly nubs.
"I agree," he said huskily as he gently chewed upon her right nipple. "You make me hungry enough to want to devour you. With you, I lose control, but I cannot restrain my desire."
"Must you always be in control? Oh Lord," she cried out as she pulled at his hair. Fierce, desperate need consumed her with an instinctive yearning that overtook her awareness of the world around her and left her to focus solely on him. She whimpered as the sudden rush of cold air and droplets of cold water fell on her breasts as his mouth left her flesh.
"Stand up," Sloan commanded.
"Sloan, wait. I am completely disrobed, and …"
"You are beautiful. I want to see you. Now stand."
Blair obeyed, her legs trembling with nervous desire. Except as a child, she had never stood before any person fully unclothed. Even her maids were not privy to the view of her slender curves or pink-tipped breasts. She closed her eyes as smooth, sultry strokes grazed her most intimately guarded place.
"This is a lover's kiss," Sloan said, as his wet tongue slid between the virgin folds. He flicked the tip against the pink, swollen knob, his tongue thrusting as he pushed her open further. His enormous hands wrapped around her hips and he pressed her against the edge of a large bolder. He lifted her right leg and set it upon a rock. "I am going to suck on your little nub, Blair, and it will feel so good that you are gonna scream my name for the world to hear."
He showed her no mercy as his tongue ventured deeper between her folds. "Mmm, the river's sweetness is nothing compared to yours." Sloan took hold of her hand and placed it upon her soft curls and covered her hand with his fingers. Slowly he began to move them around and then regarded her glazed, lust-filled eyes. "Touch yourself for me, Blair. Explore your body as I feast on you."
Her movements were stiff and clumsy, and Blair bit her lip. "I am sorry. I don't know what you want of me."
"Haven't you ever touched
yourself before?"
"It is sinful, and … no. Not until the moment that you joined me in the water." Blair looked away, her face red. "Please, do not tease."
"Why would I tease? Your innocence intrigues me. It makes me want to teach you and enjoy the delight you experience as your discover the wonders of your body. Feel what my fingers are doing?" he guided her finger under his, "Slowly, rub little circles in your wet skin. Show me that you want more."
Blair licked her lips as she caressed herself. She attempted to ease her breathing as Sloan wrapped his mouth over her fingers and sucked at her fingertips. She bit her lower lip as he guided her hand past her soft mound and pressed her index finger to her own entrance.
"Push your finger inside and feel yourself. Trust me. You can't cause yourself any harm," he coaxed as he tongued her soft lips. "That's my good girl. Stretch out your opening for me. Keep going; it's very tight. Let your finger go all the way inside. Now, try to hold it in place." Sloan instructed as he fondled her pouting clit.
Blair felt his tongue slip around her finger with every thrust it in and out. She groaned as he pushed her finger to the knuckle and began to move it back and forth in deep thrusts while his lips worked hungrily at her arousal. Blair reached back with her left hand to steady herself as waves of undulating pleasure began to mount. She moaned loudly, her eyes rolling back as his mouth grew more insistent. Blair elapsed into a shuddering climax, her voice echoing his name through the cliff line with a cry of fulfilled delight.
Sloan captured her body as her trembling legs gave way from under her. Slowly, he lowered her back into the bubbling water. As her body relaxed, Blair took hold of his hands and stared at the erection that bobbed before her lips. His eyes darted down as she looked up.
"May I … kiss it?" Blair asked, timidly. Sloan nodded and watched as her lips covered the glistening tip of his engorged cock. She traced her fingers down the sensitive skin under his shaft and delicately cupped his testes in her palm. "Does this hurt?"
Over the Barrel Page 7
