“I didn’t wed a gentleman, sir. I wed a ghost.” She threw herself in his arms, her lips reaching up to his.
“Oh, bloody hell, Chloe. You aren’t going to make this any easier on me, are you?”
Chloe sighed deeply, snuggling closer. If she didn’t plan her next actions carefully, her new husband might decide to paddle her, after all, instead of making love to her. She reached up to touch his cheek gently. She observed his face carefully as he studied her.
“When I was young, I witnessed something I didn’t understand. It seemed so outrageous, and it has intrigued me ever since.” Suddenly, realizing what she was about to say, she clamped her teeth down on her lower lip.
But he was waiting. “Tell me, my girl. What did you see?”
She took a breath and closed her eyes. “My father’s stable boy and his lady friend sneaked inside our family carriage, late one afternoon. They didn’t notice when I peeked inside to see what they were about.” She paused and opened her eyes, raising them up to his. “It was the squeaking springs which drew my attention. I could hear heavy breathing and assumed he was polishing the seats inside. He wasn’t, though.”
“You naughty little imp,” Ghost said, his lips moving to her neck. “And what did you see when you looked inside?”
“He was leaning back in the seat, and she was seated on top of him, her skirts billowing about them both as she bounced up and down upon his lap. He kept ordering her to go faster. At first, I was alarmed and thought he was hurting her because she was groaning. And his voice was so guttural. But then…”
Ghost’s eyes narrowed. “And what happened next?”
“The stable boy switched places with her, and soon, she was lying on the seat. His head was buried between her legs and she moaned…so blissfully.” Chloe felt a flush creeping up her neck and face. She’d never told anyone of the event until now, but it often fueled her fantasies late at night. Though the details had been hidden from her view, without permission, her imagination filled in the gaps.
“Do you know what he was doing between her legs, my innocent?” he asked in a husky voice.
“Looking at her…umm…”
A warm chuckle followed, and he smiled gently down at her. “He was kissing her.”
“But…” She looked up into his eyes. “Kissing? She was letting him stare at her lady parts, and it seemed to make her giddy with pleasure.”
Ghost was smiling with indulgence as he gently pressed her back into the seat and knelt on the floor in front of her. He brought the hem of her gown upward and slid his fingers between her legs to part them. When she hesitated, he paused.
“Chloe?” When his eyes locked on hers and he waited, she knew he was giving her a chance to halt his actions.
She didn’t. Instead, she allowed him to part them further.
“There are many ways of kissing, sweetheart.” His voice was softer now. “During our marriage, it will give me great pleasure to instruct you on all of them. This is what the lad in your father’s carriage was doing to his lady friend. Let’s see if you enjoy it as much as I think you will.” Ghost lowered his mouth to her, his tongue tracing a trail up her inner thigh.
Chloe’s breathing hitched. The coach took a sharp turn, and with one hand, he reached for the seat to brace himself, with the other, he tried to keep his fingers from digging into her thigh.
He was struggling to remain a gentleman. At the same time, she had lost the ability to be a lady. When he started to lift his head, her fingers found their way into his thick, dark hair, and she urged his mouth back down into place.
“How long does it take to get to the dock from here, sir?” Chloe asked, in between gasps of pleasure.
“Not long enough.” His voice was gruff, and his eyes dilated. His tongue moved to her most sensitive spot, and his voice was full of satisfaction.
“You taste like honey.” When he glanced up to meet her eyes, she knew her face was flushing. “You are already nice and wet for me. Spread your legs wide over my shoulders and relax.” He paused, refusing to take his eyes from hers. “I had hoped to wait until we could have more private time together before I claimed you, but I can’t. I want you, my darling girl. You are almost ready.”
Her head thrown back, her thick red curls tossed around her, Chloe found her first release from her husband’s skilled lips. When his fingers started moving on her button, she exploded yet again. It was only when he began invading the tightness of her channel that she had second thoughts. While not painful, it was not as enjoyable as the other things he did.
“I haven’t been intimate with a woman since long before I met you, Chloe. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back. If you wish to wait for a proper wedding night aboard my ship, you’d best say so now.”
“No! No, sir,” she gasped out, her face flushed and her lips wide. “If you stop now, I will surely die.”
Ghost’s trousers slowly parted, and he guided himself toward her. “Chloe, I have never taken a virgin, but some say there might be pain involved…”
“I’ll try not to hurt you, sir,” she promised quickly.
“Lord, you are such an innocent. Trust me to take care of you, Chloe,” he said gently. “Can you do it?” At her smile, he inched his way closer, slowly pushing his way deep inside until her gasp filled the coach. For a few seconds, he paused and waited for her to adjust to his invasion.
“You—” She was breathing heavily now. “Ghost, you’re so large. Please, wait? Mayhap the men could go and kidnap a doctor–” She was gasping. She knew her voice was tight, and she hated the censoring tone it held, but it was impossible to control.
“Trust me, sweetheart,” The coach hit a few rough patches, and her husband moved in and out of her with the action. At first, she was tempted to protest, but something delightful stirred deep inside her suddenly.
“Chloe,” Ghost said softly.
She lifted her hips up to meet his own as he started to withdraw. The marvelous feeling made her groan. Perhaps it was the position in which they had started.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes in fright. “Ezra!” she announced with sudden clarity. “Gunfire!”
He paused, looking toward the window. The sound of gunshots from above and in front of them had caused him to withdraw from his bride with a curse. He moved toward the window and looked out. He could feel the swerve of the carriage and put a hand out across Chloe’s waist to steady her. “Stay down!” he ordered.
The sound of a shotgun blast was close, and he shouted out the window. “Tiny!”
“Just a warnin’ shot. Nobody hurt,” Chubs shouted back.
Looking backward, he saw Smiley and Woody behind them. But now, there was a third carriage, further back, with two of its wheels in the ditch. A moment later, he heard shouts from above and turned to see two men on horseback flying toward them at a rapid rate. Chubs raised the shotgun in the air and fired again. Both men flew off the road and, a moment later, off their horses.
He watched until the additional carriage and the men on the ground were out of sight. then drew back into the carriage. He reached again for Chloe. Her eyes were large.
“Ghost? What is it?” She was leaning up onto her elbows.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. We picked up some visitors, but they’re gone now. Chubs assures me no one was hurt.”
When he glanced down, however, Chloe’s face didn’t show worry. It showed something else; arousal widened her eyes, giving them a deep indigo color. Her small hand was reaching toward him, and he brought it to his lips. Their eyes were locked once again.
“Ezra?” she whispered breathlessly. “Please, could you sit on the seat and let me bounce upon your legs? Please, I promise to be gentle.”
He shook his head at her worry about hurting him. Lowering himself onto the seat, he took her by the waist and lifted her over him. She pushed her dress up and over his chest as she guided herself down onto him. She was so small, so tight, and she seemed to have difficulty g
etting comfortable. Finally, he brought her down and kissed her forehead.
“Here, sweetheart. You’re struggling. Let me.” Reaching under her dress to her bare skin, his fingers slid upward from her bottom to her waist. He helped her establish a rhythm, which made them both begin groaning.
“Something is about to happen,” Chloe warned him. “Oh, sir, I fear I am about to explode.”
“Go ahead, my love. Give in. I’m not far behind you.”
He watched her as she shattered, closing her eyes. The distress evident on her face earlier had completely disappeared, and she leaned forward on his chest, snuggling into his neck. He held her tightly, unwilling to let her go.
He turned her so she was lying on her back, a few moments later, and removed a handkerchief from his pocket, cleaning her up, then himself. “Now,” he said softly in her ear. “Rest in my arms for the rest of the journey.”
Chloe didn’t even stir when his palms reached inside the top of her gown to cup her beautiful breasts. His thumbs stroked her nipples, loving the feel of them peeking over the top of her gown.
She was his now, this gorgeous young woman. His to love. His to care for.
He hoped to God he was worthy of her.
Chapter 16
The parade…
In the coach, both Gregory and Carlson reached out for support as they heard the gunfire and felt the vehicle list to one side. The driver was off the road now, and the wheels were in the ditch. Gregory opened the door and looked out. “Carlson, look!”
Two coaches had passed on their way to Ainsley. The driver of the first looked like one of the two men he’d seen the day Chloe was taken. The driver of the second resembled the second man on the coach that day. But as he stared, he caught a glimpse of a gaunt old man with a frayed hat.
“Damn and blast! The old man who followed me outside this morning when I came after you,” he said to Carlson. “They’re all in on it!”
Both men got out of the coach to lighten the weight, helping the driver as he quickly worked to get the coach out of the ditch. Gregory cursed with frustration as the carriages moved on down the road, out of sight.
“Hurry!” One last tug, and the carriage finally moved out of the ditch and back onto the road. They jumped back into the coach. They had just managed to reach speed again, when they met the men, crawling back onto their horses. They were moving toward the road.
Carlson’s head hung out the window. “Stay your course!” he shouted.
A couple of shouts as they passed was all he heard.
Ainsley came into view, ten minutes later, and Gregory shook his head in surprise as he saw the coach that joined them following behind. As they passed through town, it pulled in between them and the horses that trotted along behind them.
The crest of Baron St. John was seen clearly, and the baron’s head was stuck out the window, shouting for them to stop.
“Shall we halt and speak to him?” Carlson asked.
Gregory drew his head back inside and turned to Carlson, grinning. “Liverpool will be quite soon enough. And I don’t wish to give up our spot in the parade.”
Carlson turned around, looking first ahead, then behind. “Four carriages and a horseback caboose. I say.”
The confrontation…
The sun was moving toward the west when Ghost noticed the sights of Liverpool. He’d been watching the parade behind them for the past two hours, trying not to disturb Chloe’s tiny, sleeping form. Her luscious little bottom was nestled in his groin, and he’d had his hands on her soft and sweet breasts since she’d fallen asleep in his arms. He wished he could get her straight into the cabin and begin to make love to her slowly, sweetly, the way lovemaking was meant to be. The reality, however, was that he had to get her on board quickly and safely and face the dangers of what had followed them to the wharf. Hopefully, his men on ship would be ready to get her aboard. His motley crew, as loyal as they might be, were not the fastest.
He leaned again to glance behind him as they approached. There had been a third coach behind him, and then a fourth had been added to the group in Ainsley. Behind them were the two he was most concerned about—the two men following on horseback at the end. He now knew who they were.
He threw the door open, as soon as the coach slowed enough, and jumped out with Chloe in his arms. One of his most trusted men rushed down to get her, and Ghost quickly put her into the man’s arms.
“Quick, Asa! Get her to the cabin and lock it—guard it with your life!”
“Aye, Captain.”
Watching for only a few seconds as Asa disappeared up the plank with his bride, he turned back to keep the unwanted men from its access.
Tiny and Smiley had pulled the carriages up and stopped, rushing to get supplies upward. Captain Smythe was running forward, and the older gentleman with the St. John crest on the side of his coach was following him as fast as he could for his older legs, begging him to stop. Ghost remembered that coach from the day Arabella St. John had boarded the Charlotte, well over a year ago. What the bloody hell was he doing here?
“Gregory! Stop, please! I must tell you—”
Gregory had turned back to face him. “Tell me what, sir?” His voice was not full of patience.
The old man finally reached him, leaning forward, and panting with exertion. “I visited the Cates woman again. She doesn’t want the girl back in order to take care of her as she says—she means to kill her!”
Gregory stood, staring at him. “What do you mean, visited her again?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, man. Didn’t you hear what I said? She means to kill the girl!”
Ghost watched as a third man came around the side of the coach to join them. His eyes widened, realizing he’d never seen him, either. Cautiously, he looked around for the two men on horseback. He saw neither of them, nor did he see the horses, and it left him with an uneasy feeling. They should have arrived first.
A short, stocky man came running down the dock, waving his fists in the air and shouting. “They stole it! They stole my boat!”
Ghost turned to see the direction he pointed.
It was then that he realized things had fallen apart on the ship. The sounds of pandemonium had broken loose. He turned to run up the plank, with the rest of the crew following as fast as they could.
The men aboard were all involved in a terrible fight. A crowd around a body lying on deck made him run toward it. Asa lay bleeding heavily from a wound to his belly.
Ghost raised his head. “Get the medic!” he shouted as the sound of something hitting the water was heard. At the same time, a blood-curdling scream coming from below.
Chloe!
He ran to the side and looked overboard, just in time to see two men in a rowboat below and Chloe, bound hand and foot with rope, lying in the corner of the boat.
Jumping up on the ledge, he leaned forward and dived into the murky waters below.
Chloe felt like everything was happening slowly. She’d heard the splashes in the water, not one, but many. She felt the boat as it began to list, and craned her neck backward, just in time to see Tiny holding tightly to the side of the rowboat. He was half trying to get to his mistress, half trying to keep from sinking beneath the rolling waves. Arms bound together, Chloe failed in her attempt to help him.
“Tiny,” she whispered, “You can’t swim!”
She glared up at the men in the boat. The tallest one handed an oar to the shorter, “Beat his brains out, Nigel.”
Chloe screamed again. It was too late, however; Nigel began advancing.
“No!” she screamed in protest when the man who had dropped her in the boat started attacking. “Stop it! You can’t attack a defenseless man!”
Nigel, however, turned at that moment, when the boat rocked suddenly. Chloe followed his line of sight to see her Ghost, climbing aboard at the other end.
“Basil, we’ve company, me lad.” With a jerk of his head, he nodded.
Basil grabbed the oar and tu
rned, ready to fight. “Ah, ‘tis ye.” He raised it over his head.
But Ghost was ready. He shoved away just as the oar came down, and it missed him completely. Basil raised it again, and, again, he missed.
Nigel swore from his end of the boat as he missed Tiny and turned to see his brother “‘I need me some help here. There’s another one comin’ at us.”
Ghost was outwitting the taller of the brothers completely, and a string of curses filled the air. Chloe’s eyes filled with hope as she saw Ghost making a game of frustrating his attacker from the water.
Nigel, standing over Chloe, was distracted as he watched his elder trying to beat a moving target, and she took advantage of it. Using her bound feet to help her propel herself backward, Chloe wedged herself against the boat to gain some leverage. When Nigel moved in front of her and raised his oar, she kicked her legs forward at his groin with all her might. Nigel screamed and bent forward. One more kick from her sent him over the side.
“Give me yer hands, Chloe.” Tiny hoisted himself up, a sharp blade held between his teeth. Holding himself up and leaning on his elbows, he cut through the ropes binding her arms.
Smiley was at the middle of the boat now and managed to pull himself inside the boat, but when the vessel rocked at his weight, Tiny lost his hold and disappeared back into the water, his knife with him. Basil turned to see Nigel gone and an angry, one-legged man in his place. Taking his oar, he clobbered the cook over the head, knocking the man unconscious. Blood was pooling from the back of his head, and Chloe worked harder, trying to free her ankles.
“How dare you!” she shrieked, throwing the rope over the side of the boat. She ripped a layer of cotton from her petticoat and wadded it up, crawling over to her fallen friend. Holding the bit of cloth against the back of his head, she tried to stem the flow of blood from a large gash. Her eyes darted around the rowboat, thankful that Ghost was climbing into the boat now.
Conquered by the Ghost (The Conquered Book 3) Page 16
