A Lady of the West Read online

  She hadn’t expected him to react with such violence, but he had jerked her head back around to face him. His eyes had been green with rage, his neck corded. But his rage had broken his control and he had begun driving into her, hammering his body into hers. Afterward, he had gripped her chin and said in a cold, hard voice, “Don’t you ever turn away from me like that again.” He forced her to lie close to him all night.

  What was it he wanted of her? Why had he been watching her like that? Her lips trembled before she could control them.

  He already had the ranch. As her husband, he legally owned everything that had once been hers. He had already deeded half of the land to Ben. She didn’t resent him for that; the land was really theirs, after all. But what else did she have that he wanted? He didn’t need her at all now; if he wanted to, he could easily be rid of her.

  But she had also felt his passion; despite his roughness the night before, she’d felt it in him even then. He had been as much at the mercy of his body as she was to hers. If she truly believed that he could kill her after the nights she had spent in his arms, then she might as well put the gun in his hand because just the belief itself would be the death of her hope, her love. No, he wouldn’t kill her. But neither did he love her, and that knowledge was behind all her fears and wild imaginings. Her body was safe with him; her heart was in mortal danger. It took all of her self-control to protect it and keep it hidden from him.

  She sighed as she opened the door to Celia’s bedroom, dragging her mind back to the matter at hand, which was finding her sister. She had had the embroidery hoop last, and Victoria couldn’t find it.

  It had been almost dark the day before when Luis had ridden up with Celia behind him. He’d found her under a tree over a mile away, he’d said, playing with the kitten. Now she had disappeared again, but surely she wasn’t walking in the rain.

  She went to the kitchen. “Has anyone seen Celia?”

  Lola shook her head. Juana said, “I think she went to the barn. She took the kitten so he could play.”

  Victoria sighed. At least now she didn’t have to worry about Celia’s safety when she was out like that. She didn’t want to find the embroidery hoop bad enough to get wet running down to the barn. She’d just keep looking for it in the house.

  She began methodically searching every room and was on her hands and knees looking under the desk in the library when Jake came in. She glanced quickly away, feeling uneasy after the strange violence that had erupted between them.

  He tossed his wet hat onto a chair and ran his hands through his hair. “What’re you looking for?”

  “The embroidery hoop.”

  “Under my desk?” he asked incredulously.

  “Celia had it last.”

  He understood and reached out to help her as she got to her feet. Victoria would have drawn away, but his fingers tightened on her arm. He closed his hands on her waist to hold her. His voice was low. “Are you all right?”

  She knew what he was asking and somberly studied him in the dim light. He smelled of fresh air and dampness, she noticed, but his body heat burned through his rain-spattered clothes. “A little sore, but that’s all. You … didn’t hurt me.”

  “I’m sorry. You made me angry and I lost control.”

  If it got much darker, they would need to light the lamps. The rain pattered on and cool air blew in through the open window. She could feel her own pulse beating through her body. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “It doesn’t matter.”

  He drew her forward just a fraction of an inch, but he’d been standing so close already that the movement brushed her breasts against his shirt. She slowly inhaled, feeling her breasts tighten and swell. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said against her temple.

  Her throat was tight, and her eyelids heavy. “You know … you know that there’s no need.” She had climaxed before he had, and he had groaned aloud at her inner contractions. Even in anger, he had been able to make her respond to him.

  He pressed his mouth against her temple, his lips hot on the delicate skin. He covered her breast with his hand. “I think there is.”

  Her hand was on his shoulder, his powerful muscles firm under her palm. Without thinking she flexed her fingers, her nails biting through the damp cloth of his shirt.

  “Jake.” Her voice was low. “We can’t. The door—not here.”

  Slowly he released her, his green eyes glittering in the dim gray room. He stepped backward until he reached the door, and with careful restraint shut and locked it. Then he began unbuckling his gunbelt.

  Her lower body felt heavy. She watched him disarm himself, then looked around at the library. There were chairs, very comfortable leather chairs, but no nice long sofa where they could lie down. She ought not to let him do this—a lady never would—but they were locked in a shadowy world, surrounded by the smell and sound of rain, and her body was quickening. He reached for her, his hands sliding up her back to clench in her hair, his mouth coming down over hers in a deep kiss that filled her with his breath and taste.

  He lowered her to the floor, and she didn’t even notice that the dark wood was hard against her back. She felt his hands opening the buttons of her dress and sliding it off her shoulders. The soft straps of her chemise followed. Her pale bare breasts felt the wash of cool air, then his wet mouth seared her nipple and she moaned.

  “You taste sweet… and cool.” He gave the heat of his mouth to her breast, and the nipple puckered against his tongue. He sighed in deep, almost painful satisfaction, sucking in a rhythm that pinned the tight nub between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. Victoria moved beneath him, her legs shifting, her hips reaching for his. Her nails were digging into his shoulders, a primitive signal of passion that made his manhood surge against the restraint of his pants. He tugged at the buttons to free himself.

  Her senses were so heightened that she could feel her own pulse as the warm blood pumped through her body. She smelled the hot musk of his arousal and shifted to aid him as he fought through the bunched layers of skirt and petticoats to find her legs. She wore the common, convenient open-crotch drawers, and his fingers went straight to the open seam, sliding into her soft folds. His touch burned like a brand, and she made an incoherent sound that could have been a plea.

  He shifted his weight on top of her, opening her legs wider with his own thighs. The motion caught the fabric of her drawers and pulled them to the side, blocking his entry. He reached down, hooked his strong fingers in the opening, and ripped the garment from front to back. Victoria gasped, but didn’t protest; she wanted him too much. She reached for him, needing the hot slide of his flesh into hers. She could feel him probing and lifted her hips in silent invitation, but he held back, cupping her chin in his hand and turning her face so he could look at her.

  She knew that her soul was in her eyes, and desperately she closed them. It was the same act that had so enraged him the night before, but she couldn’t help it. He would plainly see the aching tenderness of her heart, the silent yearning for more than he wanted to offer, and that was more than she could bear.

  Jake looked down at her face, cameo pale in the gray, rain-washed light, and his chest tightened as he watched her close him out. Last night he had lashed out in anger, hurting her, but he wouldn’t do that again. He murmured a soft reassurance, and slid his arms under her to protect her from the hard floor, as he slowly penetrated. The sensation made both of them catch their breaths, and against her will her eyes flew open.

  His face was very close, his breath mingling with hers as he made a small movement that lodged him deeper. “All right?” he asked in a soft, guttural tone.

  “Yes.” The word was barely audible.

  The reassurance was all he needed, and he pushed inward until she had accepted his full length. He watched every nuance of her expression, hungrily soaking in her response. Maybe she didn’t trust him, but she wanted him. She was his wife; he was entitled to make love to her as often as he wished, strengthenin