by Linda Devlin
You think your guardians can keep you safe? Soon you'll be as dead as these flowers. They were once beautiful, too.
"Sin," she whispered, her voice so low he surely couldn't hear her.
And still, a moment later he was standing in the doorway, his Colt in one hand. "What's wrong?"
She turned her face to him and pointed to the note and dead bouquet on her bed. Tears filled her eyes, and without so much as a second's hesitation she walked into his arms. Once he decided there was no imminent danger, he sheathed his six-shooter in the holster he'd borrowed from Cash and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's all right," he said in a soothing voice as she buried her head against his chest.
"It's not all right," she whispered. "Someone wants me dead. And whoever it was walked into my room and left this... this thing for me. They were right here sometime in the past two hours, while I was in the kitchen or serving breakfast in the dining room or dusting in the lobby. This is my home, now, and it's just not right that someone would sneak in here and leave this awful note and those dead flowers."
Sin tried to disengage himself. "We need to tell the others."
Eden held on to him tight. "Not yet," she whispered. "Please don't let me go just yet. Give me just a minute here. Please," she said again. Being in his arms comforted her, made her heart begin to slow to a normal pace, made her fears gradually fade.
Sin's arms tightened around her, and she closed her eyes to get lost in his embrace. How could he say he didn't love her? How could he deny this?
"I won't let anyone hurt you," he whispered in her ear.
"I know."
"Only a coward would do this," he said angrily. "Damn it, when I find out who it is..."
He let the sentence die without telling her what he wanted to do to her tormentor. She knew, well enough, how angry and protective he was. He sheltered her. He only wanted what was best for her. She'd never doubted that.
No longer afraid, she lifted her head and stared up at Sin. "I wish you could tell me you love me as easily as you show it," she whispered.
His body went tense, but he didn't release her.
"I'm a selfish woman, I suppose. I want you," she whispered. "But I want all of you. Not a small piece, not a tiny fragment that you're willing to give away without granting your heart."
"I don't have what you want."
"Yes, you do." She lifted herself up on her toes and kissed him. Softly, tenderly. His whole body responded; she felt it. "You're everything I want, Sinclair Sullivan. Everything I will ever want."
"You don't know what you're saying. This is just... just..."
"Lust?" she finished for him. "Maybe that's part of it, but I know we have more than sheer physical attraction between us. What we have is extraordinary, and it's much more than physical, no matter how you fight accepting the truth.
"But the physical craving is a part of it." She boldly reached down and laid her hand over his arousal. "I won't deny that." She stroked him lightly. "I'm not so ignorant anymore. Not as innocent as I was a few days ago. I still dream about you, Sin, only now I know exactly what I'm dreaming about."
He kissed her hard and deep, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, catching her against his body and holding her there. Her body throbbed and so did his; it was a wondrous feeling.
Through her layers of clothing, Sin touched her.
He touched her breasts, he raked his hand over her mound, and forced his fingers between her legs. When she moaned, he caught the sound in his mouth and pushed harder. Her legs parted, and she raked her hands against his denim-clad buttocks, holding on for dear life.
She heard Jedidiah on the floor below. In a moment he'd be on the stairs to the third floor, then in the hall, then right outside her open door.
"I'd like to clean the tub," she whispered.
Sin moaned. "Jed will never leave us alone for more than a few minutes."
She heard a footfall on the stairs. "I know."
"Unless he thinks you're safe from me," Sin whispered in her ear. He made himself pull away from her. "So when he gets here, tell me you hate me. Tell me you're sorry you married me and you hope you never see my ugly face again as long as you live."
Eden smiled. "I love your face."
"Do you want to clean the tub?"
More than anything. "Of course, but..." In a flash, she knew what his plan was. When Jedidiah appeared in the doorway, her smile was gone. But could she lie to her own brother?
"Eden found another note," Sin said tersely. His eyes narrowed. "But I don't see how anyone could've gotten past us. Maybe Cash had it right. Maybe she wrote the notes herself."
She was truly shocked, for a moment. Then she realized what Sin was doing. "How dare you?" she said coldly. "I would never stoop to such treachery." The indignant words made her feel guilty. What she was doing right now was more than a little treacherous. Still, if it was the only way she and Sin could be alone...
Sin shook his head. "You're a woman, aren't you? A spoiled, pretty, empty-headed..."
That one hurt, in truth. "And you're an imbecile who knows nothing about women," she interrupted. "I don't know what I ever saw in you. It's a good thing Jedidiah came along and helped me to see the error of my ways."
Her brother smiled. They'd almost forgotten about the note and dead bouquet on the bed.
"As soon as this mess is over," Sin said in a low, gruff voice, "you're going back to Georgia if I have to drag you there."
"I found my way here, I can find my way back," she said, her nose in the air. "And not a moment too soon!"
She turned her back on Sin and looked at Jedidiah. She hoped he thought her red face was due to anger, not complete embarrassment at her wickedly deceptive performance. "I'm going to clean in the bathing room for a while. You look over the note and decide how to proceed. I don't need or want a bodyguard while I... clean the tub."
She spun on her heel and walked into the hall. As she'd suspected, Jedidiah ordered Sin to follow, at a safe distance, he suggested in a wry voice.
Eden practically ran down the stairs. Sin was right behind her.
* * *
Sullivan leaned against the partition that separated the door to the bathing room from the lobby. He tried to look casual, unconcerned, a little pissed, as Jed came down the stairs.
"I'm going to run these over to the saloon and see what Cash and Nate think," Jed said, shaking the bouquet of dead flowers in Sullivan's direction. "Then I'll run by the general store and see if Baxter remembers selling anyone this ribbon."
Sullivan nodded once.
"She in there?" Jed asked, nodding toward the room beyond the partition.
"Yep."
"I know it's rough, but I'm glad you two came to your senses." Jed tried a sympathetic smile that didn't quite work. "I gotta warn you, though. My little sister doesn't lose her temper often, but once she goes to the trouble to get mad she stays mad for a while. She doesn't forgive easily."
"Neither do I," Sullivan said. He waited until Jed was well beyond the hotel entrance, and then he turned and walked to the door of the bathing room. With his fingers on the handle, he hesitated. This was a bad idea and he damn well knew it. He swung open the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Sun pouring from the tiny window set above the tub lit the small room with yellow light.
Eden stood beside the tub, her hands clasped demurely before her. "I can't believe I lied to Jedidiah," she said softly. "Did I hear him leave?"
Sullivan nodded. "Are you having second thoughts?"
She smiled and shook her head. "Not a one."
He took her in his arms and kissed her, lifting her up so she had to balance on the tips of her toes, holding her so tight he could feel the beat of her heart and the quiver that shook her when he plunged his tongue into her mouth.
He caressed her breasts, fondled the sensitive peaks. She moaned into his mouth, parting her lips wide, pressing herself against him.
"I do love you
, so much," she whispered hoarsely. "I need to know that you love me back, Sin. I've seen it. I've felt it. But I need you to tell me."
"Isn't this enough?"
"No." She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hand inside. "I love the feel of your skin," she whispered.
"You fight dirty," he muttered.
"This isn't fighting."
Ah, but it was. This was the battle of a lifetime; a fight he couldn't win. A war he'd lost long ago. "I want you," he whispered.
She boldly laid her hand over his denims, over his erection. "I know you want me." She opened a button, stroked once, opened another button. "I also know that you love me."
His resolve deteriorated. "Even if I do, it doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
He lifted her skirt and reached beneath to untie the tapes at her waist. Her drawers dropped to the floor and she kicked them away. When he touched her intimately she gasped. When he slipped a finger inside her, she closed her eyes and melted against him.
"Sin," she whispered, "what if someone comes in?"
"They won't." He stroked her until she gave over completely, until she forgot that there was no latch on the door to this small room. She pressed her body to his and held on with all her might, tender and strong.
She didn't ask him again to say that he loved her. She threaded her fingers through his hair and held on tight. She touched him, teased him, caressed and kissed him, and opened one button of his denims at a time. Her body rocked against his as he touched her, stroking her wet entrance.
The moment passed when she had no more words. He knew the exact moment, savored it the way he savored the feel of her. There was simply her body and his, raw pleasure, unbridled need. He lifted her into his arms and spun her around, placing her back against the wall. She was so light, so tiny, so beautiful. He didn't deserve her, and he certainly didn't deserve her love.
But he did love her.
She wrapped her legs around him, searching for the joining she craved as he did. He touched her, barely began to enter her, but he held her up and back.
"Look at me," he whispered.
She opened her eyes. No one had ever looked at him this way before—hungry, open, loving, wanting, and vulnerable.
"I want you so bad I ache with it. I need you like I've never needed anything else." With that he plunged inside her, stretching and filling, wrapping her body around his. She held on to his neck and lifted her body, then moved down and against him so that he filled her completely, so that he was buried deep inside her.
He wasn't gentle, and she didn't ask for gentleness from him. This coming together was built on need and lust and promise. It was a fierce mating, an uncontrollable force. When Eden climaxed she cried out, and as she milked him with her inner muscles Sullivan again pumped his seed, his soul, into her waiting body.
She melted, with her legs still around him and her head resting against his shoulder.
"We never made it to the tub," she said breathlessly.
"Not enough room."
They sank to the floor, still entwined.
"We really must put a latch on the door," Eden said, a touch of humor in her breathless voice as she reached out to brush her fingers against the rough wood of the door.
Sullivan mumbled his assent.
"You do need me, you know," she said sweetly. "And I need you. I don't want to go back to Georgia, no matter what the two of you have to say about the matter." With a deep, satisfied sigh she adjusted her position, cuddling against him. "So what do we do next?" she asked. "Do we tell Jedidiah that we're married and that's that, or do we pretend to hate each other until he's had time to get used to the idea of us together?"
"I don't know. We'll have to think about it."
As much as she wanted to hear it, he couldn't tell Eden that he loved her. Even though it was, unfortunately, true, he wasn't yet convinced that the love would last—or that it would be enough.
* * *
It was difficult to lie, especially to her brother, so Eden decided the best course of action was simply to ignore Sin when Jedidiah was present. The plan was amazingly successful. By nightfall everyone had noticed the change. Over supper in the hotel dining room Jedidiah was pleased with himself, Nate shook his head in disapproval, and Cash almost celebrated.
She had an idea that Rico wasn't fooled, but at least he had the decency to keep his suspicions to himself.
What she really wanted to do was go to Jedidiah and tell him the truth, that she loved Sin and he needed her and they were married. End of discussion. Unfortunately Jedidiah was not likely to take the defeat well, and with so much else going on, now was not the time to create more turmoil.
Eden ate supper at a table with Millie and Teddy. Sin was all the way on the opposite side of the room, eating dinner with Rico and Nate. Jedidiah shared a table with Cash and his twittering, giggling dinner companion, a busty blonde in a low-cut red dress. Ethel.
After this afternoon, Eden had no doubts that Rock Creek was her home and always would be. She was going to have to make an effort to meet other women in town, women besides those who made their livings in the saloon across the street. She needed to invite Mary Reese and Rose Sutton to lunch, when she was settled and the hotel was in better shape. They could introduce her to the other women in town.
"Mama," Teddy said in a low voice, capturing her attention with little more than a whisper.
Eden smiled down at him. "Yes?"
"Why are you mad at... at Mr. Sullivan?" He turned those big brown eyes up, and Eden's heart melted.
Millie put her fork down and waited expectantly for a response. When she didn't get one immediately, she spoke up. "Yeah. I thought he was going to be our papa. You said he might be, and now he's not even talking to us."
Oh dear. "Well," Eden said in a calm voice, "it's a very complicated story. I'm not really mad at Mr. Sullivan."
"You looked mad at him when you put his plate down so hard his chicken jumped," Millie said, lowering her own voice.
Eden looked around the room. While the men were close enough, no one was listening. Still, she whispered. "It's a kind of game, like the one we played on the way to Rock Creek. And like the other game, it's a secret."
"Okay," Millie whispered conspiratorially. "I won't tell. Do I have to be mad at him, too?"
"No."
Teddy frowned and pushed at the peas on his plate with his fork. "Why isn't he eating with us? Did I do something wrong? Did I make him mad?"
Eden placed her hand over his. "Of course not. Just a game, remember."
It was clear Teddy didn't like this particular game. "How long is it going to last?"
Eden glanced across the room, just as Sin lifted his head and looked at her. Her heart leaped, and she had to work much too hard to contain her smile. "Not very long," she said. "I promise."
When she jumped up and began to gather the dirty dishes, Rico left his seat and headed for the kitchen. As had become the custom, the room would be thoroughly inspected before she entered it. Since two of the notes, and the scorpions, had been left there, it was clear someone was finding their way through the back door, which was almost always latched, or the window.
A few minutes later Rico emerged from the kitchen and gave her a nod, acknowledging that all was clear, and Eden carried a stack of plates to the counter. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Ethel standing in the doorway with another stack of dirty dishes.
"You look like you could use a hand," the saloon girl said almost shyly.
Eden prided herself on being fair, always. Had she been fair to Ethel and the other girls from the saloon? Of course not. She'd condemned them from the beginning without even attempting to get to know them. Like she wanted to get to know the woman who'd had the audacity to sit on Sin's lap!
"That's very nice of you," she said. "But you shouldn't have. Cash paid for your meal and his. I really shouldn't put paying customers to work."
Ethel answered with a
wide smile. "I grew up in a house with six sisters. Sitting there and watching one woman do all the work while I do nothing just doesn't feel natural."
Taking the plates from Ethel, Eden said, "I do have an awful lot of work on my hands. I need to find a replacement for Lydia. She left after Grady died, and I could use her right about now. I suppose I could advertise in the weekly paper for someone to help out around the place, but I have no idea what kind of response I might get to such an ad. I'm not sure that more than half a dozen people read that sad little newspaper." She studied Ethel with a critical eye. Bless her heart, beneath all that face paint, the saloon girl was just a woman making her way in the world, much as Eden was trying to do.
She had a wonderful idea, a stroke of pure genius. "I can't afford to pay much at the moment, but free room and board would be part of the package, and as soon as I turn this hotel into a profitable venture the salary would be raised."
Ethel's bright smile faded and she looked away. "That sounds very nice. I'm sure you'll find someone."
"Do you like your job?" Eden asked, wondering even as the words left her mouth if she was going too far. "What I mean to say is, if you wanted to work here I'd be happy to have you." Ethel smiled and laughed a lot and looked as if her life was easy and carefree, but Eden couldn't imagine that making yourself available for any man with enough money was a pleasant way to make a living.
"You don't want me here," Ethel said in a low voice, as if someone might be listening. "People will talk..."
"Goodness gracious, I don't care one whit about gossip," Eden said adamantly. "If you want the job, it's yours." She handed the dirty dishes back to Ethel. "Starting immediately, if you're willing."
Ethel took the dirty dishes with a smile and headed for the counter.
Chapter 17