“Presently.” He moved away for a brief moment, and when he returned he had her cloak. He draped it around her shoulders and fumbled in the darkness for the button that fastened it at the collar. His fingers brushed her throat and she inhaled sharply. He heard. She could sense him grow still. He paused for a moment, his knuckles pressed against the soft flesh of her neck, letting her feel the hard warmth of his fingers. “I think you lied to me, Elspeth. I think you remember a great deal about that morning.” Then, just when the touch of his fingers was beginning to cause an odd hot sensation, his hands fell away. “This will be a little warm, but it will hide the rope if anyone should see us riding out of town.” He drew the hood up over her head. “You’re taking this very calmly. Are you accustomed to being abducted, Elspeth?”
“No.” She could barely force the word through the tightness of her throat. “I’m not calm. I’m not a very brave person, and I’m frightened.”
For an instant there was a silence, a hesitance. “Was that supposed to disarm me? You gave me your answer at the Nugget tonight. Are you asking for another chance?”
“It would be the same answer,” she said haltingly. “There is no choice. I cannot leave here without you, and I must find Kantalan.”
“I think you’ll decide differently by the end of the week. I’ve left a note on your pillow supposedly signed by you saying that you’ve decided to run away with me. Since you’ve been trailing after me for the better part of a week, I don’t think anyone will have trouble believing you find me irresistible.” His tone was mocking. “And those that have any doubts will think twice about calling me a liar. When we come back to Hell’s Bluff, you won’t find your stay in this town quite so comfortable. You’ll either have to go to Rina’s or accept the hospitality of one of the men you saw in the bar tonight. This hotel accepts only respectable women.”
“Come back? You’re taking me away from Hell’s Bluff?”
“I can hardly take you to Rina’s, as she might object,” he drawled. “And what I have in mind for you can’t be accomplished with the little privacy this room affords. I’m taking you deeper in the mountains to a cabin owned by a friend. He’s off prospecting at the moment, so we should have no one to interfere with—” He broke off and turned away impatiently. “Why am I making explanations? You’ll find out soon enough. Let’s get the hell out of here. I have the horses tied to the hitching rail out back.” His hand was on her elbow, propelling her across the room toward the open window. “I believe we’ll avoid the main stairs. If we happened to run into someone you know, you might be tempted to scream, and I’m not in the mood to shoot anyone this evening.”
The words were said calmly, almost casually, but they sent a shiver to the base of Elspeth’s spine. The idea of violence was anathema to her, and the knowledge that blood might be spilled for her sake made her feel ill. “I wouldn’t scream. Not if I knew it would mean a man’s death.”
“That’s very accommodating of you, but I don’t think we’ll take the chance. This is between the two of us.”
“Yes.” She wished she could stop shaking. He was right, this was between them and no one else. He was terribly angry with her and meant to punish her in some way; nothing could be clearer. Well, she had known that taunting him would be dangerous and she had done it anyway. She mustn’t be a coward now that he temporarily had the upper hand. What could he do to her that would be so terrible? He obviously didn’t want to hurt her physically. Perhaps he was only trying to intimidate her into giving up and leaving Hell’s Bluff. Perhaps being alone with Dominic could be to her advantage. She would be able to talk to him without having to pursue him and—
His big hands were on her waist, lifting her through the window onto the landing of the second floor balcony. The arguments she had been giving herself flew away from her like birds in autumn. His hands were terribly strong as they spanned her slight waist, and his features in the moonlight appeared flint-hard. She was once again acutely conscious of both the helplessness of her position and her femininity. Her breath caught in her throat as she met his gaze.
His pale eyes were searching her face. “You are frightened.” His lips curved in a smile of savage satisfaction. “Good. I want you to be frightened of me. I want your knees to shake and I want your eyes to look at me as if you’re afraid I’m going to eat you. I want to touch you and feel you tremble.”
She drew a deep, quivering breath. “Then you’re certainly getting what you want, aren’t you? But there’s something you should know.”
His lips twisted in a sardonic smile. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you have four fierce brothers who will ride in pursuit and avenge this shocking infamy I’m heaping on their little sister?”
“No, I have no one to defend me.”
Something flickered in the hardness of Dominic’s face and then was gone. “How fortunate for me. Then may I ask what you think I should know?”
“I cannot ride a horse.”
The cabin before which Dominic had finally stopped was located on a plateau that bordered the steep incline of a rockstrewn gorge. It was a good ten miles from Hell’s Bluff, and by the time it had come into view Elspeth had doubted she had an unbruised bone in her body and was positive there was not an inch of her flesh left unscathed. “You didn’t have to make the horse run,” she said tartly as Dominic reined in his black stallion in front of the cabin. “I know you’re a wee bit angry with me but—”
“I’m more than a ‘wee’ bit angry.” Dominic slipped from his saddle and came around to lift her down from the chestnut mare on which she was mounted. “And if I’d wanted the horse to punish you instead of reserving that pleasure for myself, I would have had her trot, not gallop. Its far more painful.”
“It couldn’t be.”
“It is.” He was swiftly untying her wrists and he paused to smile down at her, his blue-gray eyes glittering coldly in the moonlight. “I’ll make sure your next ride is more comfortable … even entertaining.”
His hand encircled her left wrist and he pulled her toward the small log structure that looked to be more of a shack than a cabin. When she drew closer she could see the crude structure had obviously been hurriedly built of logs that were still green and mismatched.
Dominic threw open the door and drew her into the darkness of the cabin before releasing her wrist. “Stay here.” She heard the click of the heels of his boots on the wooden floor as he crossed the room.
As Dominic lit the oil lamp on the table across the room, Elspeth saw the inside of the cabin was just as unattractive as its exterior and consisted of rough pine flooring with a multitude of unfilled knotholes and a flat roof fitted so poorly she could see the glitter of stars through slender spaces between the mismatched logs. The small room contained little furniture. A horsehair mat in the far corner which presumably served as a bed and the pine table beside which Dominic was standing had one leg shorter than the others and sloped drunkenly toward an equally clumsily built companion chair. Instead of glass in the one window beside the door, newspapers, yellowed and made brittle by exposure to the elements, were nailed across the opening.
“Someone lives in this place?” Elspeth asked incredulously.
“Jim isn’t here much. He’s away for weeks at a time prospecting in the hills. It serves his purpose.” Dominic’s white teeth gleamed in the lamplight as he smiled mirthlessly at her from across the small room. “As it will serve ours. Soon you won’t even notice your surroundings.” He turned away from the table and headed for the door. “I’m going to unsaddle and water the horses. I wouldn’t try to run away if I were you. There’s no possible help within five miles of this place and the hills are full of snakes and scorpions. If you don’t fall off the mountain, you’ll have them to contend with.” He paused at the door to look back at her. “And I’d find you anyway. I’ve gone to a hell of a lot of trouble to bring you here, and I have no intention of letting you get away.”
Snakes. Elspeth tried to repress the f
amiliar panic the thought sent streaking through her. She smiled shakily as she pushed her spectacles up to the bridge of her small nose. “I’m not going to try to escape. It would be foolish. I know nothing about mountains and snakes and …” She waved a hand. “I forgot what else you said.”
“Scorpions,” he repeated. He stood there a moment, glowering at her. “Why the hell are you being so meek? Why aren’t you fighting me?”
“Would it help me if I fought you? Would it make you change your mind?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so.” She crossed the room and sat down on the wooden chair. Her spine was very straight as she laced her fingers together on her lap. “You’re a determined man, but I don’t believe you’re a cruel one. I’ll wait for you here and we’ll discuss this turn of events when you return.”
He gazed at her, a variety of emotions flitting across his face. Then he muttered something violent beneath his breath that expressed both his frustration and exasperation, turned on his heel, and strode out of the cabin.
Elspeth released her breath in a rush and sagged back in the chair. While Dominic had been in the room she had felt as if she were caged with a wild animal. What a foolish comparison, she thought wearily. She had no idea what it would be like to be caged with a beast. She knew nothing about dangerous animals or dangerous men. So what in heaven’s name was she doing here?
The answer came to her at once. Kantalan. She had to find Kantalan. She mustn’t fall apart now. She was actually doing quite well. Except for that hideously jarring ride, she had suffered no real pain or discomfort, and as yet Dominic had done nothing more than threaten her. Perhaps that was all he intended to do. She straightened in the chair and carefully composed her features. There was no shame in admitting to being afraid, no matter what her father had told her. The shame would lie in not facing down her fear.
The door opened and then slammed shut behind Dominic.
She instinctively braced herself, but he ignored her as he strode over to the horsehair mat in the corner and spread a clean tan woolen blanket on the mat’s dusty surface.
He turned to look at her, a crooked smile lifting the corner of his lips. “You see how considerate I am? I wouldn’t want that soft white skin to get dirty.”
“Thank you.”
His smile faded and anger tightened his lips. “God-dammit, fight me!” He reached her in two strides and jerked her out of the chair. His hands cupped her shoulders as his eyes blazed down at her. “I’m not going to discuss this. I’ve brought you here for one purpose and nothing is going to sway me from that purpose. Don’t you understand that, dammit?”
She nodded. “You want to punish me. You needn’t yell at me. You’re making yourself very clear.”
“I’m not yelling!”
“It seemed to me you were, but perhaps I’m so frightened I no longer know the difference.” Her eyes widened behind the thick lenses of her spectacles. “What are you doing?”
He had stepped back and was shrugging out of his suede coat. “I’m undressing. It’s not always customary in these instances, but I hate quick tumbles. I’d undress you first, but I’m not sure I’d be able to wait once I started.” He had removed his shirt and belt and now placed them both on the table beside him. His fingers went to the waistband of his black trousers, his gaze fixed intently on her face. “Because I’ve been wondering ever since that morning at Rina’s if the skin beneath those black draperies is softer than the flesh I touched. Do you know what sort of fires are kindled in a man by that kind of wondering?” He undid the first button of the trousers. “Shall I show you?”
She shook her head. “You’re trying to frighten me. I know you have no intention or ravishing me. Why should you? I’m not the sort of woman men desire. You cannot want me.”
“I cannot?” He smilied faintly. “I must have very peculiar tastes, for I find I most certainly can and do, and you’re most definitely about to be ravished, Elspeth. Why the hell do you think I brought you here?”
Her eyes widened in astonishment. “You want me?” She shook her head dazedly. “I didn’t think you meant to ravish me. It seemed most unlikely. I thought perhaps you meant to shame me, perhaps beat me, but I—” She broke off. “I’ll have to think about this.”
“It’s a little late,” Dominic said dryly. “I suggest you think about it afterward. You’re going to be very busy in a few minutes.” His hands were at the front of her cloak, his fingers undoing the single button that fastened it. He pushed the cloak from her shoulers and it fell to the chair behind her. “I find I’m too impatient to finish undressing. I want to look at you.”
Elspeth couldn’t speak, she could scarcely breathe. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead. He was only a few inches away and she could see the tight dark curls feathering his chest and his small nipples almost hidden in that springy thatch. Everything about his body seemed … familiar. She hadn’t realized how vividly every detail of his naked body had been imprinted in her memory, but she could recall every line of the sleek golden musculature of his chest and shoulders.
“Look at me.” His fingers were lifting her chin. “I want to watch your face while I undress you. I want to know what you’re feeling.”
She swallowed. “I could tell you.”
“No, that’s not good enough. I want you to realize how vulnerable you are to me now.”
She closed her eyes. “I think I’ve changed my mind. I believe you can be cruel.”
His fingers left her chin and she suddenly felt a light touch at her left ear. She kept her lids closed, she didn’t want to meet those mocking blue-gray eyes. She felt another touch at her right ear and she suddenly realized what he was doing. He was taking off her spectacles! Her lids flew open. “No! I—”
“Christ!”
She hurriedly lowered her long lashes to veil her eyes. “I’d like my spectacles, please. It’s very difficult for me to—”
“Look up. Do you hear me? Look up, dammit.”
She reluctantly raised her gaze to meet his own.
Dominic once more experienced the same shock he had received before. Her eyes were not brown as he had surmised, but a deep green and were flecked around the pupil with tawny gold. Enormous eyes, tilted up at the corners and framed with long black lashes that both shadowed and enhanced their exotic brilliance.
“May I have my spectacles back now?”
He shook his head. “I’ve always liked green eyes. I think we’ll dispense with these for the time being.” He tossed her spectacles on top of his shirt on the table. “And don’t keep sidling away from me.”
“They’re not green.” Her voice was muffled and she stared straight ahead at a point in the exact center of his chest. “They’re not any color. They’re witch’s eyes, cat’s eyes.”
“An interesting comparison, and judging by your behavior since I’ve made your acquaintance, I can vouch for the fact that you come by it rightly.”
“They’re ugly.” A slight flush was touching her pale cheeks. “Different.”
“Is that why you wear those spectacles?” His fingers were removing the pins that held her bun in place. “So no one can see how ugly they are?”
“Certainly not, I would never be so vain. I need them. I do a great deal of reading in scholarly studies and my eyes become quite strained. Poor vision runs in the MacGregor family. My father purchased my first pair of spectacles when I was seven.”
“I haven’t seen you without them since you arrived in Hell’s Bluff,” Dominic observed as he threw the pins on the table. He watched the heavy coils of light brown hair tumble to the middle of her back. Another surprise. The candlelight revealed threads of pale gold in the shining brown mass. “You’ve clearly been doing a formidable amount of scholarly work of late.”
The flush on her cheeks deepened. “I’ve grown accustomed to wearing spectacles. I feel uncomfortable without … What are you doing now?”
“Just running my fingers through your hair.”
He brought two long silky strands forward to nestle against her breasts. God, he realized his fingers were tingling as if they had been frozen and were now being painfully brought to life. The thick silky strands flowed through his fingers like warm honey. He wondered how that silkiness would feel against his naked chest as she bent over to …
“Why? Is it untidy?” She frowned. “It’s entirely your own fault. You shouldn’t have taken it down.”
“Perhaps.” The tingling was spreading from his fingers to his wrists and arms. His loins were aching, the muscles of his belly knotting. He shouldn’t have touched her but he’d had no idea she would ready him so quickly. He was usually in control of his responses, but he found he was trembling now like an inexperienced boy. “But I think we’ll leave it down anyway. Sit down.”
She stared at him in bewilderment, her strange eyes shining like two gold-flecked emeralds in her pale face. He suddenly wanted to touch her hair again, feel the silk wind around his fingers and cling to them. He impulsively reached out and came within an inch of contact before he stopped, and then let his hand drop to his side. There would be time for that later, when his first hunger for her was satisfied. He repeated, more sharply this time, “Sit down!”
She dropped onto the seat of the wooden chair behind her and watched as he knelt before her. He picked up her left foot and pushed the skirt of her black gown, crinoline, and petticoats above her knees. She made a low protest and tried to jerk her skirt down again.
“No!” His hand immediately clamped onto her wrist and his gaze met her own. “Make one move, and I’ll rip this gown off you and then tear it into a hundred pieces. If you don’t want to ride back into Hell’s Bluff in your birthday suit, you’ll believe me, Elspeth.”
She nibbled worriedly at her lower lip. He meant it, she decided. Her hand moved reluctantly from her knee to grip the rough wooden table beside her with nervous tension.
This Fierce Splendor Page 8
