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  The only true way to soothe her was to take her to the peak he denied himself, to show her the ultimate pleasure that was the reward for enduring this initial pain. His own climax would have to wait, for nothing was so important as giving her ease. He slipped his hand between their bodies and found her soft nub again, coaxing it from its protective folds with a whisper-light touch, luring Olivia back into passion. He pleasured her with hard-won patience, not trying to take her swiftly to climax but instead letting the pleasure build so that she felt first a gentle relaxing of her muscles, then the slow return of arousal. Only when her hips began to lift against his hand and initiate the movements of lovemaking did he increase the pressure and speed of his stroking fingers.

  Olivia had been bitterly disappointed by the pain of his penetration even though Dee had said that the first time hurt. All of her previous lessons in sensuality had been full of heated pleasure, and despite her fear she had trusted him to make this final surrender as completely enjoyable as all the rest of it. Instead there had been pain, and the harsh shock of having her body invaded. But his experienced touch was bringing back pleasure so fast and so strong that it swept over her in waves. She surged beneath him, trying to take him deeper into her because somehow that had become part of the ecstasy; she locked her legs around his and writhed in increasing passion. Luis groaned aloud at the movement of her body on his length, trying to hold back, trying not to thrust hard and deep when every fiber in him needed to.

  She cried out, and he put his hand over her mouth. She stiffened and shuddered, and he felt the soft internal shivers that heralded the onslaught of her peak. He couldn’t stop himself then; he began to thrust, and in only a few seconds he followed her into mindless pleasure. The force of it emptied him and left him unable to move, sprawled heavily on top of her.

  She moved her hand slowly down his back, luxuriating in the feel of his strong muscles. She felt dazed and dreamy. So there was pleasure after all, a pleasure so intense that she had thought she might die of it. She didn’t regret that he hadn’t waited until they were married, only that he hadn’t completely seduced her before. This new intimacy was overwhelming in both the pleasure it afforded and the bond it had forged. She felt more utterly his than she had ever thought she would feel with a man, and more possessive of him than she had known was possible. She loved him, but this bond of their bodies was more primeval than that.

  After a long while he stirred, lifting himself from her body. “I have to go,” he said sleepily, “or I’ll still be here in the morning, and that would have your father looking for a shotgun. I’ll come for you at about ten. Will that give you time to pack?”

  So it would be that soon. He had claimed her and saw no reason to wait even a couple of days for their marriage.

  “Yes,” she said, and she kissed him. “Where will we stay? Or will we be leaving town immediately?”

  He didn’t hear any hesitation in her voice, only curiosity. She truly didn’t care where they stayed. Suddenly he felt like laughing out loud, exulting in the fate that had given her to him. “We’ll stay in the hotel for a while until we decide what to do.”

  “So I won’t need to pack all of my clothes right now?”

  He grinned. “Well, I guess I can safely say that you won’t need any nightgowns.”

  No, she wouldn’t. She smiled as she watched him dress. She would have Luis to keep her warm. It was the most delicious future she had ever imagined.

  She was calm when she went downstairs to breakfast the next morning. “Luis is coming for me at ten,” she said. “We’ll be married this afternoon.”

  Tears welled in Honora’s eyes, and she hastily blotted them away. “There’s no need to be so hasty, dear. Won’t you think this over for a little while longer?”

  Olivia put her arms around her mother. “I have thought it over. I love him, and that isn’t going to change. The only reason to wait would be if you and Papa wanted to give me a wedding.”

  Wilson sighed heavily and got up from the table. “You can’t expect us to celebrate your marriage to a man like Fronteras.”

  “I wish you would, but no, I didn’t expect it.”

  He bent his head, staring unhappily at the floor. Most of his objection was based on how unsuitable Fronteras was for Olivia, but part of it was an unwillingness to lose his daughter. He would have missed her at any time, but the parting would have been easier if he had been assured he was giving her safekeeping into reliable hands. Olivia deserved better than a life of insecurity.

  She had always been the perfect daughter, adorable as a child, sweet and loving. She had never shown any wildness, had instead been precociously responsible and levelheaded. He knew doting parents never thought anyone good enough for their children, but it was painfully obvious that Olivia was marrying far beneath herself.

  She was his only child, the light of his life. She would inherit his money. Was that why Fronteras was marrying her? Did he expect to be supported by his father-in-law? Olivia certainly deserved better than that. But she tended to see the best in people, and it wouldn’t occur to her to be suspicious of Fronteras’s motives. Wilson hadn’t accumulated his wealth by being a fool. He knew a lot of men who had married because of money; he didn’t want that to happen to Olivia.

  He hadn’t wanted to meet the man at all, but now he decided to delay his departure to the bank; he had a few things he wanted to say to Luis Fronteras.

  Luis arrived promptly at ten, driving a buggy he had rented from the livery stable. Olivia, watching eagerly for him, felt her heart swell when she saw that he hadn’t made any effort to impress; he wore his customary pants and shirt, a bandanna knotted at his neck, his gun belt buckled low on his lean waist and tied to his thigh. He looked exactly like what he was, and she loved him for not trying to put on a false front. Luis didn’t need to impress anyone.

  She opened the door and stood waiting for him, her face radiant with happiness. Luis smiled as he walked toward her, his dark eyes alight. The memory of their lovemaking shimmered between them, and Olivia’s breath caught.

  “I’m ready,” she said, indicating the two cases behind her.

  As Luis bent to pick them up Wilson opened the door of his study and cleared his throat. “I’d like to speak to you, if I may.”

  Honora came down the stairs, wringing her hands at the sight of the cases. Her eyes were red-rimmed.

  Luis straightened, his dark face calm. “Of course.”

  Wilson stood aside and indicated his study. “In private.”

  “Papa,” Olivia said, her tone alarmed.

  “Hush. This is between us.”

  “No, it isn’t!” she cried, stepping forward. “I’m involved, too.”

  Luis touched her arm, smiling down at her. “It’ll be all right,” he softly assured her. Then he walked into the study, and Wilson closed the door behind them.

  He turned to face the banker. Perhaps Olivia had expected to leave without this confrontation, but Luis had known better. The man was concerned about his daughter; hell, Luis wouldn’t have thought much of him if he hadn’t been. If he could settle any worries, he was willing to try—it would make Olivia happier, and he would do anything to accomplish that.

  Wilson drew himself up. “I’ll give you five thousand dollars to leave here and never see my daughter again.”

  Luis’s eyes narrowed, and a dangerous gleam entered them. “No” was all he said.

  “If you think that marriage to my daughter will make you rich—”

  “Stop right there. Don’t even say it.” His dark eyes were cold with anger. “I’m marrying Olivia because I love her. If you’re worried about your money, then keep it. I don’t want it or need it.” Without another word he walked past the banker and left the room.

  The sight of his face made Olivia’s heart skip a beat, and she rushed to him, catching his arms in a grip so tight her nails dug into his flesh. “Luis?” she whispered, frightened.

  His expression softened as he