by Shana Galen
He withdrew and plunged in again, the sharp contrast between the cool water and her explosive heat bringing him to climax all too soon. He thrust deeper, and her warmth enveloped him, tightened around him, and with a shout he let go.
He poured himself into her, his orgasm so strong that he couldn't stop a growl from escaping his lips. He lowered his mouth to her neck, biting her gently, leaving a small red mark.
She was his now.
She was still naked when Jack carried her back to the stable. He left their damp clothes tossed over a wooden fence to dry. They both needed new garments, and he'd have to go into Gretna Green to secure the necessary funds and supplies to see them back home.
He settled her on one of the blankets spread out over the straw where they'd slept the night before. She stretched, her glorious body tempting him once again. But he knew it was too soon for her, so instead of taking her into his arms again, as he would have liked, he said, "Tired?"
Eyes half closed, she murmured, "Mmm-hmm. Come lie with me." Her voice was low and sultry, and the sound made his chest tighten. She opened her arms to him, and it was an invitation he couldn't resist.
Just lie beside her, Jack, he told himself. But as soon as his leg touched hers, she rolled over and embraced him. Her limbs tangled with his, and he felt himself growing hard again.
Corn, he thought. I'll think about corn. Or potatoes.
She snuggled her cheek on the curve of his shoulder, wrapped one arm around his chest and looked up at him.
"Jack?"
Stew and potatoes. Potatoes with corn ...
He glanced down at her, at those big sapphire eyes peering up at him. "Go to sleep," he said.
She blinked. "But it's the middle of the afternoon."
Damn. Good point. "We're leaving tomorrow. You need your rest."
"Fine." She snuggled into him again, her long lashes brushing against his neck when she blinked. He could smell her, that sweet feminine scent taking him unawares. Making his hands itch to touch her. He licked his lips, and he could still taste her.
Potato pudding. Cornmeal ...
"Jack?" she murmured, and then yawned. Thank God.
"Sleep," he repeated.
"I will. Jack?"
Bloody hell. "What?"
"That was wonderful. In the pond, I mean."
He felt an arrogant smile break on his face. "I know."
She looked up at him again, and he tried to frown at her but couldn't quite manage it. "Is that all you wanted to say?"
He thought a moment. "Yes."
With a scowl, she shook her head and turned from him. But he grabbed her and pulled her back. "I liked it, too," he said.
She smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you."
When her breathing deepened, Jack put his arms behind his head, stared at the ceiling, and slowly exhaled. Maybe this marriage wouldn't be so disastrous after all. He'd married her, made love to her, and he hadn't fallen in love with her yet. Maybe she hadn't been as dangerous to him as he'd thought. Maybe he truly was immune to the softer emotions.
He planned to keep it that way.
He'd told her they would leave for home tomorrow. He'd be glad to have her under his roof and in his bed. But he didn't relish the return to London and his inevitable dealings with Bleven.
If Nick was smart, he'd stay out of Bleven's path for a while, just until Jack paid the Black Duke a visit. If there was any truth to what Bleven had said in the clearing, he would make sure Bleven suffered the consequences.
But the confrontation would take careful planning. Bleven was not a man to underestimate, and he would not rush their meeting. In the meantime, he couldn't let his guard down. Maddie had to be protected at all costs. If his new wife tripped into Bleven's path ...
Jack took a deep breath.
No, he'd protect his new wife, even if it meant locking her in his house and keeping her under guard. No one was going to touch her. And all this do-gooder business of hers had to stop. Good Samaritans were nothing more than prey for the lowlifes of the world. He had seen it before, a do-gooder cut down by the very scum she was trying to help. He wouldn't let that happen to Maddie.
He glanced at her, watched her chest rise and fall steadily. She might not like his interference at first, but that was too bad.
It was for her own good.
Chapter Fifteen
Maddie paced outside the livery, waiting for Jack. In the distance she could hear the roar of a crowd and what sounded like dogs barking, but the little town was otherwise quiet.
She took three steps forward, watched the wrinkled lavender bows on her gown teeter drunkenly, then turned and took three steps back. She desperately needed a new gown. The lavender and white dress had dried overnight, but it was hopelessly crumpled and more dingy gray than creamy white.
She peered across the street and saw the dressmaker's shop. She knew Jack wanted her to wait outside the livery, in front of the window, where he could see her, but she itched to take a look in the shop.
She wasn't worried about her father. The sweet couple who'd allowed Jack and her to stay in their stable had told her that the Earl of Castleigh left for London after he roused the priest and saw the marriage certificate. Even the Earl of Castleigh could not doubt his daughter's marriage.
Maddie hoped her father wasn't too worried ... or too angry. She'd call on him as soon as she and Jack arrived in Town.
She did worry about Ashley and Lord Nicholas, however. They seemed to have disappeared from Gretna Green. Jack had told her that his brother could look after himself, but Maddie made him promise to inquire after Ashley and her new husband.
The crowd in the distance grew louder, and Maddie frowned. Why did she keep hearing dogs?
She squinted through the dingy window of the livery again and saw Jack deep in conversation with the owner. Jack wanted loan of a carriage and coachman to drive them back to London and was probably haggling over the price. He'd been in there a quarter of an hour, so obviously the owner was not as impressed at having a marquess in his store as Jack had anticipated.
She didn't doubt Jack would get what he wanted, but in the meantime, why shouldn't she walk down to the shop? Or see what the crowd was cheering about? The longer she listened, the uneasier she grew. Her belly felt tight and knotted.
Jack turned and looked at her, and she gave him a reassuring wave. With a nod, he went back to haggling.
Certain her new husband would be in the shop for another quarter hour at least, Maddie slipped away. She had to cross one street to reach the dress shop. It wasn't far at all, and she'd be gone only a moment.
Jack wouldn't mind, she thought, and started across the street, walking slowly to observe the crowd at the far end. Maybe she should slip down and look ...
No. She was going straight to the dress shop and back to Jack. That was all. She was not going to investigate all that barking and growling.
She tried to move forward, then paused. Perhaps the dress shop could wait five minutes. She would just take a quick peek at whatever the crowd had encircled.
Maddie turned and headed toward the cheering people. As she neared, her heart pounded and the blood thumped in her head like a hammer. Before she could think about it or stop herself, she pushed through the circle of men before her, ignoring the large sweaty bodies. No one paid her the least attention. All eyes were focused on the spectacle before them.
"No," Maddie breathed, reeling back in horror.
Surrounded by the crowd, which was held back by ropes, she saw a large stake. Chained to the stake by his neck was a beautiful black bear with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. Two large bulldogs growled and lunged at the bear, who swiped at them with his enormous claws.
The bear was bleeding from a wound to its shoulder and left flank, and Maddie could see by the way he moved, that the poor animal was in pain. The dogs lunged again, and one clamped onto the bear's tender snout. The bear howled in anguish before knocking the dog off, leaving angry red scr
atches on the dog's side.
"Stop it!" Maddie screamed. She hadn't meant to call out, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "Stop this at once."
But no one appeared to hear her. In fact, the man beside her pushed her aside so he could get a better view.
"Did you hear me?" Maddie yelled. "Stop this—"
"Oh, shut up, willna?" another man told her. "I canna enjoy the sport with all yer screaming."
"But this is cruel," she countered. "We cannot allow this to continue."
"Look, lass," another man said, turning to face her with an angry jerk. "I doona want to hear yer chatter again. Go home, Sassenach."
"But—"
A hard hand clamped on her shoulder and jerked her back. "We were just leaving," Jack said.
Maddie spun round to face him as he took her hand and dragged her away from the savage scene. "But Jack," she protested, "did you look—"
There was a howl of pain, and she turned in time to see one of the dogs thrown to the ground. It was hurt badly, and she would have rushed to its aid if Jack hadn't continued to pull her away.
"Jack," she said, digging her heels in once they reached the main street. "We have to go back. We have to help that bear."
She wasn't prepared for the anger in his eyes when he rounded on her, and she took a step back. "Forget about the goddamn bear," he growled. "I told you not to move. I told you to wait right outside the shop."
He was yelling at her, sounding just like her father, and Maddie straightened her back and attempted to speak civilly. "I did wait, but I didn't see the harm in walking to that dress shop and peeking inside."
"But you didn't go to the dress shop, did you?" He grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward a carriage that was now waiting outside the livery. She realized this must be the carriage he'd secured for them. "You could have been hurt," he said.
"I know."
At her apparent easy acquiescence, he turned and looked back at her.
"But that bear is hurt, Jack. Those poor dogs, too. How could I let that happen without trying to stop it? How can you let it go on?"
"Maddie ..." He leaned down so she could see his eyes. "I'm having a hard enough time trying to keep you safe. What the hell am I supposed to do about a bear?"
She put her hands on her hips. "Well, if you won't do something, I will. I'm not leaving that bear, Jack. If I have to stay in Gretna Green permanently—"
"We're returning to London. Now." He grabbed her arm and tried to push her toward the carriage. Maddie slapped him away, and a woman passing on the street gave them a curious look. "Stop it," he ground out between clenched teeth. "You're causing a scene."
"You're causing a scene," she retorted.
"Get in the carriage."
"No." She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "And if you try and make me, I'll scream my head off."
"Goddamn, bloody—"
"Profanity won't help you," she said calmly. "Now, you can either help me or abandon me, but I'm not leaving without that bear."
She saw the muscle in Jack's jaw tense, saw his fists curl into hard balls. Then he grabbed her shoulders roughly. "Stand right here." He backed her up until her spine was pressed against the livery. "Do not move. Not your feet, your arms, not even your eyes. I swear by all that's holy, if you move one inch, I'll kill you, and that goddamn bear, too."
He stalked away from her and climbed in the carriage. As she watched the carriage pull away, Maddie bit her lip.
One day of marriage, and he'd already left her.
She knew she should have married Dover. At least he would have tried to help her with the bear. Mr. Dover would have—
She swallowed a sob. Poor Mr. Dover. He wouldn't ever be helping any bears after this. And it was all her fault. How was she ever going to atone for that sin?
She'd only begun to imagine all the punishments she deserved when the carriage with Jack returned, this time pulling a cage on wheels behind it. Maddie stared at the cage, then broke into a huge smile.
The bear was inside. Jack had the bear!
The carriage door opened and Jack stuck his head out. "Get in before the owner changes his mind."
Maddie scampered forward and jumped in. Jack rapped on the coach's roof and they were off.
Her husband started to say something, to chastise her, she was sure, but Maddie didn't let him say a word.
She climbed in his lap and kissed his frowning lips until, finally, he kissed her back.
* * * * *
"Jack, we have to stop in Carlisle," Maddie said.
Snuggled on his lap, her face buried in his neck, she couldn't see his scowl, but he made sure she knew about it. "No, we don't," he said. "We're getting as close to London as we can before dark."
He'd barely whisked the woman out of Gretna Green in one piece. He was not letting her free in Carlisle. Who knew what mischief she would find there?
Not to mention that he didn't know if Bleven was still looking for them. Jack assumed the duke had returned to London after his defeat a few days ago, but he couldn't be certain. He didn't want to run into Bleven on the road in the middle of the night. He wanted to confront the Black Duke in London, when the time was right, and the advantage was his, not Bleven's.
So they weren't stopping in Carlisle. They'd travel as far as they could, and then he'd tuck Maddie away at an inn, where he could keep her safe for the night.
And where he could make love to her until dawn. He'd had her in the water and on the soft straw of the stable—she'd been too delicious to resist last night—but he'd never had her in a bed.
"I don't want to stop, either," Maddie said, interrupting his pleasant thoughts, "but Mr. Dover ..."
She looked up at him, those big blue eyes full of unshed tears.
Oh, Jesus Christ! How was he supposed to fight against tears?
"I want to know what happened to him, Jack. And if he's—if he's d-d—" She swallowed loudly. "—gone, I have to pay my respects." She buried her head against his shoulder. "This is all my fault. I might as well have been the one who pulled the trigger."
At least that's what Jack thought she said. It was hard to understand her words under all the blubbering.
"You weren't responsible," he said, trying to sound reasonable. "Dover knew the risks."
"You don't understand, Jack. He didn't want to marry me. I persuaded him." She looked up at him again. "I can be very persuasive. Poor Mr. Dover. He never had a chance."
Jack thought Dover was probably swayed more by Maddie's good looks and ample charms than her rhetoric, but kept his opinion to himself. If she wanted to canonize Dover, he knew that arguing with her would only make him look bad.
"And he has two little children. Poor babies. How are they going to survive without him?"
"We don't even know if Dover is dead," Jack argued. "For all we know, your father missed."
Maddie grabbed his coat and hauled herself up. "Do you think so? Really?"
The hope in her eyes undid him—more even than the tears.
Bloody hell.
"Fine. We'll stop, and I'll make inquiries about the professor. But you are to stay in the carriage. Understand? No bears—" He glanced at the bear's cage behind the carriage and rolled his eyes. "— no dogs, no bunny rabbits."
Maddie nodded violently. "Stay in the carriage. I promise."
Jack gave the coachman instructions to stop in Carlisle, outside the posting house. It wouldn't be a total loss. While he made inquiries, they could change horses.
Ten minutes later they reached Carlisle, and he left Maddie in the carriage, with the bear in his cage behind. She was full of more promises not to leave or even think about leaving.
Skeptical, Jack turned back several times as he walked away, to make sure she hadn't moved. His first stop was a nearby tavern. It was the best place for local gossip. And he desperately needed a drink.
He ordered a gin, swallowed it in one gulp, and asked for another. A few minutes later he had t
he information he needed. He returned to the carriage, pleased to see that everything was as he'd left it. A few curious townspeople were milling about, trying to get a good look at the bear, but the coachman and the outriders were keeping them away.
Jack nodded to the coachman and then inclined his head toward the coach. The coachman gave him a reassuring wave. All was as he'd left it.
Jack allowed the muscles of his shoulders to relax. Maybe this marriage wouldn't be as difficult as he'd feared. His wife could follow his directions. She wasn't as unmanageable or stubborn as she'd seemed.
He opened the door of the coach, a smile on his lips. "Guess what? Your professor— What the hell?"
"Jack! Don't yell. You'll upset him."
And right on cue, the small snot-nosed child in her lap began to bawl.
Jack stared, blinked, then stepped back and shut the carriage door. Outside the carriage, the kid's cries were muffled, and Jack closed his eyes.
He hadn't had that much gin, had he?
No.
Impossible.
Even when he'd spent the night drinking, coming home completely floored, he had never imagined seeing children.
Jack took a deep breath, opened the carriage door again, and winced. The kid was still wailing loud enough to wake the dead. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but his jaw was clenched too tightly.
"Now, Jack," Maddie said, holding her hand out. "Don't become distraught. I didn't leave the carriage."
Jack heaved in a deep breath and blew it out again. He stared at the urchin on her lap and willed the kid to shut up.
"And I didn't find any bears, dogs, or rabbits. That's what you said. You didn't mention children."
He was aware that his breath was coming in short, fast heaves. He probably looked like a man who'd just run three miles. But it was either that or punch a hole in the carriage.
"Jack, are you all right?" Maddie asked tentatively.
The child in her lap had finally stopped crying and now was hugging her, thumb stuck in its mouth, staring at Jack with more interest than fear. Jack didn't have much experience with children—they all looked the same to him—but he guessed the kid was somewhere between three and ten.