Pirate's Promise

by Smith, Bobbi

  Adam knew he couldn't let anything get in his way. He was too close to success now. Nothing could interfere! He held Suzanne closer at the thought and returned her kiss with increased fervor.

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Beau! I'm so glad to see you. When did you get here?" Becky's cheerful greeting came to him as he stood alone at the refreshment table, and he looked up to see her approaching on the arm of a handsome young man.

  "I was delayed and only arrived a short while ago," he told her as he bent to kiss her cheek in a very brotherly fashion.

  Becky was seething at his lame excuse, and she only barely managed to keep still as she accepted his kiss. "Beau, I'd like you to meet Edward Courtois. Edward, this is Beau Hamilton, an old friend of my brother's."

  Beau shook hands with the younger man. "Good to meet you, Edward."

  "Nice to meet you too, sir," Edward returned keeping one arm about Becky's tiny waist.

  Beau wondered why he suddenly felt so old. Becky's use of the term "old" in introducing him and Edward's calling him "sir" faintly disturbed him somehow. He also wondered why the sight of Edward holding Becky so intimately bothered him.

  The music began again, and just as Beau would have asked Becky to dance, Edward beat him to it. He swept Becky up into his arms and guided her out onto the floor. In frustration, Beau scowled blackly as Edward whisked her away.

  To his amazement, Beau found himself silently wishing that he was the man holding her and dancing with her as he watched them move gracefully about the floor.

  The intensity of the thought surprised Beau as he followed Becky's progress around the room. In the virginal, white gown and with her hair done up, she looked the true innocent and, at the same time, undeniably, enticingly lovely. She was the kind of woman a man wanted to take to wife, the type of woman who bore a man's children and made his life worthwhile.

  Beau stared openly, mesmerized by this vision of Becky, the woman. He remembered that night in the hotel and her effort at playing the seductress. He'd known that he'd handled it badly, but, at the time, he'd been too shocked by his reaction to deal with it properly. Beau thought now of all the excuses he'd used to stay away from her during these past weeks. He'd put off coming to Belle Arbor for as long as he could, but he hadn't been able to avoid it tonight.

  Feeling once more in need of a stiff drink, Beau turned away from the dancers and left the room. He headed down the hall to the study to refill his bourbon glass. He was standing at the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room when Lianne came hurrying back inside from the veranda. She did not notice him right away, and as he watched her, he saw how agitated she was. Beau realized that something must have happened to her outside. Ever the gentleman, Beau made his presence known.

  "Lianne?"

  Lianne jumped guiltily. She had not expected anyone to be in the study and had hoped for a short time alone to gather her wits about her. She had come far too close to falling prey to Adam's enthralling nearness again there in the warm, caressing darkness of the night. "Beau . . ."

  "Is something wrong?" He set his tumbler aside and went toward her.

  "Oh, no . . . nothing's wrong. Everything's fine now." It was a lie. She knew it and he knew it.

  "You look wonderful," he complimented, knowing when it was wisest to change the subject.

  The last thing Lianne was concerned about right then was her appearance, but she managed to make all the correct responses.

  "I was just about to return to the ballroom. Would you like to dance?"

  "I'd love to, thank you."

  They spoke of inconsequential things as they rejoined the others. Deciding to wait for a new melody to begin before dancing, they stood on the sidelines in companionable silence. It was then that Beau overheard the three older ladies who were seated along the wall.

  "My, my, Camille, dear, have you ever seen your Edward so taken with a young lady before?" René Mansard questioned as she kept an eagle's eye on the antics of the young roué.

  "This is unusual for my Edward," Camille Courtois answered, a bit bewildered.

  "Do you suppose he might be getting serious about someone?" Judith Anderson asked. She'd know Edward ever since he was a young boy, and she, too, was surprised by the undivided attention he was lavishing on Becky Trent tonight.

  "I don't know. It is out of the ordinary for Edward to spend the entire evening with only one young lady."

  "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what develops. She certainly is a lovely girl, and the Trents do have money," Judith pointed out.

  "They make a handsome couple, don't you think?" René sighed romantically.

  "Just because he's danced exclusively with her tonight, doesn't mean he's going to marry her, René," Camille said tartly.

  "She seems such a lovely girl, though, I hope she doesn't go the way of all his other loves," Judith remarked.

  "Judith!" Camille gave a little gasp of indignation.

  "Well, Judith is right, you know," René defended her outspoken friend. "Your Edward isn't known for his devotion to any one girl. Why, you know the scandal that almost erupted last summer over the Douglas girl."

  Camille grimaced at the memory. "Maybe this time it will be different."

  "Maybe . . ." The other two agreed.

  Beau had kept his back to the three ladies, and it was a good thing that he had, for his expression was nearly murderous when their conversation finally drifted on to other things. So, Edward was quite the womanizer was he? Beau regarded the laughing couple through a red haze as they danced about the floor. There was no way Beau was going to stand by and let Becky get involved with someone like him. If she didn't get away from him soon, he was going to take matters into his own hands.

  Even though she flirted happily with Edward, Becky had eyes only for Beau. She had told herself that she was going to completely ignore him tonight, that she didn't care any more what he did or who he did it with, but the truth was, she couldn't stop loving him. Every chance she got, she covertly glanced his way. The vivid color of the deep scarlet jacket he wore set off his blondness, and the contrasting white shirt and formfitting dark trousers also enhanced his male beauty. She thought him the most handsome man in the room, but she was careful to disguise her feelings.

  Becky hoped that she'd be able to continue her act of indifference all night. Not that it mattered, she thought wearily, for she knew that he had no real romantic interest in her. But just for her own self-pride, she would not throw herself at him again like a lovesick schoolgirl.

  When the dance ended, Edward stayed right by her side, guiding her to the refreshment table to join some of the others. Beau refrained from going after them. Instead, he turned his full attention to Lianne as the next melody began. Taking her in his arms, they moved out onto the floor.

  When Adam and Suzanne returned to the ball, she was smiling quite smugly and high color stung her cheeks. Adam's kisses and caresses were breathtakingly exciting as usual, and she was anxious for their announcement to be made so she could gloat before all the other envious women. Adam was going to be hers and hers alone!

  At Adam's insistence, they joined the other dancers, but the music ended soon after they'd started. Suzanne was disgusted to find that they were standing next to Beau and Lianne on the dance floor. As a waltz began, Beau took the initiative.

  "Suzanne, may I have this dance?"

  Suzanne did not want to leave Adam, especially not with Lianne. She had never thought Lianne a very attractive woman, but tonight the gown she wore was definitely an eye-catcher. It irked her that Lianne was still living at Belle Arbor, and it had disturbed her greatly when she'd found Adam alone with her out on the veranda. Suzanne wondered what had transpired between them before she'd shown up, but didn't concern herself too much. Adam's fervor in the garden had been so convincing that she truly believed she was the only woman in his life.

  "I'd like that, Beau." She gave Adam a look that promised much as she went into Beau's arms.

>   Adam stood riveted to the floor. He knew etiquette demanded that he dance with Lianne, but he wasn't quite sure he could stand it. It would be hell holding her close and moving in such a seductive rhythm with her. Why, he thought crossly, couldn't this damn song have been a schottische?

  "Lianne?" He quirked one brow in invitation as he held out his hand to her.

  Lianne wanted to run. She had managed to avoid Adam all night except for that one time out on the porch that had almost ended in disaster. She had been glad and relieved when Suzanne had shown up, for she had definitely felt herself weakening toward Adam as he'd touched her cheek. The sight of Suzanne taking his arm had reminded her forcefully of just how much she hated the both of them.

  Lianne wished ardently that she could walk away from him now and never look back, but she knew she couldn't. In the back of her mind, a taunting voice told her over and over again that she would never again be free of Adam once he learned the truth of her condition.

  Lianne's eyes met Adam's as she reached out to take his hand, and she found herself nearly swallowed up in their black, fathomless depths. His expression was carefully guarded so she could read nothing of his thoughts.

  Lianne didn't want to dance with him. She didn't want to be held in his arms. She didn't want to be reminded of the mastery he had over her senses. She shivered as he drew her into the circle of his arms and began to waltz with her.

  Adam felt her reaction to his touch and thought it was revulsion. He knew she hated him, and he believed she had every right to do so. He regretted that she had been forced into the dance by circumstances, but there had been nothing either one of them could do without drawing notice.

  At first, they were stiff and unbending with each other. They held themselves apart. They did not want to relax and enjoy the dance, but the melody was a haunting one, and it possessed them almost from the very start. A sweet enchantment flowed around them as they dipped and swayed in perfect rhythm. Around and around they spun, completely caught up in the waltz, unmindful of the onlookers who thought they danced as if they were made for each other.

  Their eyes were locked in timeless combat as their bodies moved in unison. The dance was as thrilling as their lovemaking had been, and Lianne felt almost transported by the ecstasy of it. She wondered faintly how she could react this way physically to him when the rational part of her was warning her of the danger. She thought if she could just start talking she could break the spell that held her, but she found she didn't want to. This was ecstasy, and in tormented shock, she realized she didn't want it to end.

  Adam, too, was caught up in the wonder of the moment. Why did this woman, of all women, have such an impact on him? He knew she despised him. He knew there could never be anything between them, but for right now, for this instant, he didn't care. Soon he would have to publicly announce his love for Suzanne, but now there was only Lianne, here in his arms.

  The music ended. Forced back to reality, both feigned ordinary behavior as they moved together to find Suzanne and Beau.

  "I wanted to thank you for what you did outside," Lianne said coolly as they walked slowly across the dance floor.

  "He hasn't come back, has he?" Adam asked tautly. He didn't want to think about Cyrus or the abuse he'd tried to wreak on Lianne. Adam felt it was far better if he put the memory of his wild, nearly uncontrollable fury from him.

  "No. I haven't seen him. I'm sure he's left."

  "Good."

  "What's good, darling?" Suzanne questioned quickly as she picked up on a part of their conversation and wanted to know more of what they were talking about.

  Adam adroitly avoided her inquiry. "Nothing important, sweet." His words cut Lianne to the quick. "Have you seen Becky?" he continued.

  "I saw her in the hall with Edward a few minutes ago," she offered, "but I'm not sure where they were going."

  "I'll check," Beau volunteered abruptly, and he strode off into the main floor hall as Lianne quickly absented herself from Adam and Suzanne's company.

  "I thought you said you wanted some bourbon . . ." Becky asked, puzzled when Edward set aside the glass of liquor she'd just handed him.

  "That was just an excuse, Becky," Edward confided with a grin as he approached her and took her into his embrace. "What I really want is something far more intoxicating . . ."

  With easy confidence, he bent to her and kissed her. His mouth moved over hers in a heated exchange unlike anything Becky'd ever known before. For a split second, she wondered what it would be like to kiss Beau this way, but quickly put the thought from her. She was with Edward. He was the man she wanted. Everything was working out very well.

  Emboldened by her open response, Edward pulled her closer as his hands began a restless exploration. Becky was intrigued by his actions.

  She had never known even the slightest taste of a man's passion before, and she was finding it quite pleasant. The closer he came to touching her breast, the more she found she wanted to experience that caress. Had she known how to urge him on, she would have. As it was, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself to his chest.

  Edward sensed her eagerness and was thrilled with it. Becky was quite beautiful, and he'd been longing to hold her all night long. He trailed hot kisses down her throat and shoulders and knew a feeling of triumph when she swayed weakly against him.

  "Oh, Edward . . ." Becky sighed. She'd never experienced anything quite so delightful as the touch of his lips at her throat. Shivers of pleasure coursed through her as she clung to him.

  Swept away by the feeling of what he thought was her surrender, Edward crushed her to him. He wanted to feel her slender body next to his as his mouth claimed hers in a devouring exchange. Locked in the passionate embrace, he did not hear the footsteps in the hall or the sound of Beau entering the study. Had he been aware of the intruder, he would not have chosen that particular moment to possessively settle his hand over the sweet swell of Becky's breast.

  Beau thought that Becky had gone outside for a walk with Edward, and he only glanced in the study as a second thought. What he saw there sent his temper raging.

  He reacted without thinking as he stormed into the room and grabbed Edward by the shoulder, spinning him completely around. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

  Edward was stunned by the interruption as Becky cried out in dismay.

  "Beau! What are you doing here?"

  "I'm protecting your honor, Becky. That's what I'm doing!" He stated furiously as he eyed Edward with supreme distaste. He wanted to hit the younger man. He wanted to take him outside and beat the living daylights out of him.

  "Becky's honor needs no protection from me," Edward offered gallantly. He started to draw Becky back to his side when Beau turned a vicious glare on him.

  "It looked like it to me, Courtois," Beau snarled.

  "My intentions are strictly honorable."

  "Your honorable intentions are going to be lying on the ground in the middle of the dueling field at sunup if you don't get the hell out of here. Now, why don't you just take a nice walk outside and cool off, before I cool you off personally . . . and permanently."

  Edward was confused by his fury. Certainly, what he and Becky were doing was nothing out-of-bounds, and Beau Hamilton was not her brother or any relative at all for that matter. He looked to Becky.

  Embarassed, humiliated, outraged, and, along with all of it, more than a little pleased, Becky gave Edward a curt nod. "You'd better go, Edward. I'll speak with you later."

  "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

  "Courtois . . ." Beau's tone was deadly as he took a menacing step toward him.

  Edward hesitated no longer, but hurried from the room. Becky seemed to be following him, and Beau spoke up.

  "Wait a minute. I want to talk to you," he commanded, and he watched in amazement as Becky closed and locked the study door behind Edward.

  "Don't worry, Beau. I'm not going anywhere." Becky turned on him, her arms akimbo, her temper flarin
g. "I want to talk to you, too!"

  Becky stalked back across the room to stand right in front of him. She didn't want to think about how handsome he looked. She didn't want to think about how wonderful it was that he thought he was protecting her virtue. She didn't want to think about the urge she had to throw herself into his arms and taste his impassioned kiss and wild touch. Becky struggled to stay angry with him.

  As Beau watched her come, his thoughts were a mess. Lord, she was so gorgeous! Even now, in her self-righteous anger, she looked like some avenging angel. He wanted to be furious with her for taking the risk of compromising herself with that fool Courtois, but all he could think of was how unbelievably lovely she was and how much he wanted her. His gaze missed nothing . . . the flashing blue eyes . . . the way her breasts were heaving in indignation . . . the seductive sway of her skirts as she came toward him. The stirring of desire deep within his loins could not be denied. Beau wanted her. She was woman, all woman, and he was going to make her his.

  As Beau had the thought, he realized the extent of her fury and grimaced. Becky was angry, and when Becky got angry she was not easy to deal with. If anything she could be as determined and hard-headed as her brother. He knew calming her wasn't going to be easy, and as for the rest . . .

  "Beau Hamilton, you pig-headed, overbearing lout!" Becky raved, waving a finger in his face. "Just who do you think you are coming in here like that?"

  "I didn't want to see you make a fool out of yourself," Beau said and immediately realized it was the wrong thing to say.

  "Make a fool out of myself?" She stared up at him in disbelief. "The only one who made a fool out of himself was you!"

  "He had his hands all over you, Becky. Surely, you know about his reputation." Beau was suddenly on the defensive.

  "Edward's reputation? No, I'm afraid I don't know about his reputation. Why don't you enlighten me?" she snapped, her hands on her hips, her eyes boring accusingly into his.