“You are,” he answered, tugging her toward the edge of the bed. When he stood, he pulled her onto her feet and held her as she wobbled. The stars in his eyes were as bright as she’d ever seen, and her last bit of propriety—the small amount she’d been holding on to—fell away.
About as frantic as someone with red ants in their pants, she pulled down the rest of her dress and then tugged at the stays holding up her pantaloons and petticoat. Lucky laughed again, folding his hands around hers. “Slow down, darling. We have all night.”
The urgency, the yearning growing more feverish by the second, couldn’t be quelled that easily. “I don’t plan on wasting a minute,” she answered, trying to explain.
“I don’t, either.” Lucky pulled her close and provided another star-shattering kiss.
A deep intuition said his desires were as strong as hers, yet he demonstrated restraint, and she truly wished she knew how he did that. His hands weren’t clawing at her like hers were him—she couldn’t seem to find the buttons of his shirt. Instead, his hands were slow and steady, roaming her back, her hips, with wide gentle circles that had her insides feel as if they were melting. A delicious feeling if she’d ever known one.
“Your skin is like silk from the Orient,” he whispered near her ear. “And sweeter than sugar cane.”
“You’ve been to the Orient?” she asked, though she already knew he had. What she really wanted to ask was if he’d take her there someday.
“Yes,” he answered. “I have. But I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you.” He set her back on the bed and knelt down to ease each of her socks and garters off slowly.
Lost in the wonderful world he was creating, it was a moment before she realized how rough and course the blanket was against her bare bottom. As if he knew that, Lucky took her elbows, pulling her onto her feet again. He tossed back the blanket, exposing the sheets he’d bought in town on his last trip. She’d thought it a ridiculous purchase; now, as he once again eased her back onto the bed, she stretched out her legs and sighed at the feel of the soft cotton. She’d never lain naked on anything, especially not a bed with sheets.
“Nice, isn’t it?” he asked.
She giggled and reached up to take his face between her palms. “You or the sheets?”
His smile was more stunning than the gold specks in her pan had been.
“Both,” she whispered, answering her own question.
He kissed her slowly, a tender, undemanding action that seemed to steady the cravings inside her while increasing their intensity at the same time. Lucky stood then, and Maddie shied away from sitting up to help him remove his shirt, though she wanted to. Waiting and watching, she deduced, gave her a distinct pleasure, too. Stripped down to a long set of drawers, he joined her on the bed. Lying on his side, he placed one hand on her bare stomach, and the heat of his palm caused another yearning to spring forth.
“Don’t you need to remove your drawers?” she asked, not sure she could take much more.
“I will,” he answered, “when the time is right.”
“I do believe that would be about now,” she answered, tightening her stomach muscles as his hand roamed lower.
“Not quite,” he said.
Lucky kissed her again, and even while her tongue played with his, her focus was on the juncture between her legs. It had started to throb, as her breasts had done earlier. As his fingers eased over her thigh, her hips lifted off the bed. He caught the inside of one thigh, and Maddie couldn’t say he tugged her legs apart, for she was already spreading them, craving his touch more profoundly than before.
He continued to kiss her. Her mouth, her chin, her neck, as his hand explored, stroking her lightly. His lips wandered downward, and when they found her breasts again, licking and suckling, his finger entered her. The sweet pleasure could have sent her into delirium if not for the new turmoil it created.
It had to be instinct, like knowing where to look for gold, but this time it was her very womanhood coming to life and unconsciously knowing exactly what to do. Her legs opened wider, her hips began to move and a powerful sense hinted that something grand and profound was on the horizon.
Lucky’s lips returned to her mouth, teasing her with a kiss so playful and light, she had to question if his cravings were as grand as hers. She closed her eyes, tried to focus on maintaining an ounce of control. The moan rolling in the back of her throat wanted to be released, and the pressure had her tossing her head against the pillows.
Maddie hadn’t realized Lucky had moved until moist heat seized her. Her eyes snapped open, but she’d already comprehended his mouth had taken over for his finger. Her mind shattered at the fiery intensity, and from that moment on she became lost in a world of glory. Her own blood, pulsing hard and fast, thundered in her ears like a raging waterfall, and she found herself in a more splendid place and time than she’d ever have imagined.
Her body seemed to know what it was doing, and she let it go, marveling at how the friction of moving against Lucky’s mouth drove her toward a mysterious promise. Her heart was pounding, breathing almost impossible, yet nothing gave way.
Lucky’s hands lifted her bottom, and her heels buried themselves into the bed, allowing her to arch into him as he continued to suckle, lick and drive her toward pure madness. A magnificent madness.
Suddenly a fiery freedom broke loose inside her like a celebration. Instantly filling her bloodstream, it spread through her so completely her thighs and legs stiffened and her toes curled as it continued to rush from one end to the other. Lucky eased her quivering bottom back onto the bed, kissing her stomach as her legs dropped. Much slower, the commotion inside her made a second pass through her body before it had her sinking deep into the mattress.
Her vision, her senses, returned gradually, peacefully. Perspiration covered her body, and a deep and profound sense of satisfaction left her lethargic and happy.
So happy.
“Oh, my.” Having no idea how to explain the fulfillment swimming through her veins, she whispered, “That was as good as finding gold.”
If he was as smart as he thought he was, Cole would stretch out beside her and find a way for his body to absorb the need burning inside him. Or he’d walk out the door and dive into the icy river. But the taste of her, as intoxicating as any spirits he’d ever sampled from one continent to the next, had his desires too intense to discount. He had to have her.
His common sense was intact, though, at least partially. Maddie was a virgin, and taking her hard and fast as his throbbing shaft begged would hurt her. So he shifted slightly and grabbed her waist with both hands to playfully dig his fingers into her sides for a good bout of tickling.
“As good as finding gold?” he teased.
Maddie twisted beneath him, trying to escape his hands. Through her giggles, she squealed, “Better than finding gold.”
Cole stopped tickling her to run a fingertip over her lips while the mischievous glint in her blue eyes had his throat growing thick. He’d never fall in love with a woman, and hadn’t with this one, but Maddie had gotten under his skin. Deeply.
“That, I can agree with,” he answered, having been quiet too long by the tiny frown forming on her forehead. He then leaned down to sample her nipples again. They were magnificent, as was the rest of her. While he rolled his tongue over one dark tip, he twirled the other between a thumb and finger. They both turned hard again, which made his ache almost excruciating.
Her low moan had the same effect on him, and he left her long enough to rid himself of his drawers. Returning to the bed, he positioned himself above her, holding his weight off her by resting his elbows and forearms on the bed. He did lower his hips, resting his hard length atop the smooth flesh of her stomach so she’d grow used to it.
She let out a sweet sigh, and the smile on her face toyed with everything
inside him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tugged his face downward. Kissing her was beyond belief. She gave so fully, so completely, he couldn’t explain the gratification he experienced knowing it was him she was kissing.
Her hands slid over his shoulders, down his back, where they firmly caressed his taut muscles. “Maddie,” he said, tugging his lips off hers. His breath was ragged, his need more profound than ever.
“I’m ready for more, Lucky.”
His insides soared at her honesty and enthusiasm. “It might hurt, Maddie,” he felt inclined to warn. “The first time usually does.” He wasn’t in the habit of taking virgins, had never done so, but had heard such things, and hurting her was the last thing he wanted.
“You didn’t hurt me,” she said.
“This time will be different,” he answered.
“I imagine it will be,” she chimed sweetly, seductively. “Considering you took your drawers off.”
He grinned, yet said, “I’m being serious, Maddie.”
“So am I.” She tugged his head down again and drove her tongue into his mouth demandingly. As always, her courage was as tormenting as it was endearing.
Cole slid down, aligning his body with hers, and used a hand to position himself between her legs. “I’ll go slow, darling,” he said, hoping the words would stick in his mind. His need was explosive and burning, and it would take all he had not to thrust inside her and take her on a long, sizzling ride.
She was nibbling on her bottom lip as she nodded, but it was the trust he saw in her eyes that gave him the self-discipline he needed. Gradually he entered her, drawing air deep into his lungs at the intense, perfect heat of her moist, velvet-lined channel.
Waiting, he allowed her to stretch enough to accommodate him, and then withdrew to enter her again, inching in a bit farther. The slow, unhurried pace was more intense and gratifying than driving into her ever could have been. He repeated the action several times, and sensing the next thrust would breach her maiden barrier, Cole took her mouth in a tender, passionate kiss, hoping to keep her attention as he moved his hips forward again.
He slid all the way in and she gasped. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, and he deepened the kiss until her hips, which had stiffened, relaxed. Then, slowly, gently, he began to move, in and out, over and over, until her hips were moving in time with his.
Maddie took to lovemaking like she did everything else, and he cherished her all the more for it. She accelerated with him. Her flawless, glorious body met his every thrust with generosity, taking as it gave, and she expressed her pleasure with lusty, rumbling moans that kept his passion at a piercing intensity.
During those moments of pure, heated passion, an unknown clarity flashed inside Cole, like a blinding lightning bolt. He tore his eyes open, and his gaze locked on Maddie. Beautiful, brave Maddie. She was rolling her head from side to side, and repeating his name over and over again, like a sweet, never-ending song, all the while smiling up at him with glowing eyes.
“Tarnation, Lucky,” she said all raspy and breathless as her body bucked.
He grasped her hips, keeping their bodies locked tight as hers convulsed and her elation filled the air with sultry whimpers and gasps. It took tremendous willpower, for his pinnacle was near. Miraculously he held it off until, exhausted, she sagged beneath him, still repeating his name harmoniously.
With a somewhat frantic shift, Cole withdrew, and his splendid anguish ended with a shuddering greatness as his body released. Senseless and sluggish, he rested against her briefly and then rolled onto the mattress.
They lay there, winded and spent, until a few minutes later, when she asked, “Why did you do that?”
Cole flipped his legs over the bed, hoping they’d regained the strength to work. Testing one, then the other, he stood and walked to the water bucket she’d used earlier. There he gathered the washrag and walked back to the bed to wash her stomach.
“Because,” he said, “this would be no place to bring a baby into the world.”
“Oh.”
Her response was soft and quiet, yet it kicked him internally hard. She’d given him everything, all without the security of marriage.
Once done with the rag, he tossed it at the bucket and watched as it plopped into the water before he crawled back onto the bed. “Come here,” he whispered, pulling her close.
Chapter Nine
The little boat was once again so full Maddie could barely make out Lucky sitting in the middle, rowing the oars that were making the craft glide closer. The past few weeks had opened up a whole new world.
A grin overtook her face at the thought and she waved. Lucky held an arm up in return, making her heart skip several beats. The sigh that escaped her lips was full of splendor. Land sakes, some days she looked more forward to going to bed than she did getting up.
She’d changed in other ways, too. Lucky’s attitude had rubbed off on her. Miners now lined the river on both sides, and she was no longer wary or suspicious of them all. She no longer looked over her shoulder continuously, either. There was no need. Mad Dog was thousands of miles away.
Jack had said they were all in this together, and she now understood what that meant. It was as if the camps up and down the river had formed a community, a town, with folks looking out for one another. She’d never experienced anything like it, and with Lucky’s coaxing had become a participant, to the point she considered the Fenstermacher brothers friends. Real friends. The kind she’d never had. They often shared meals—which she appreciated as much as Lucky did, though he’d never admit it.
Maddie grinned again. Lucky never said a word about her cooking, but now that she’d tasted good food, she knew how bad hers was. All the more reason she needed to gather as much gold as possible, in order to hire a cook. Then Lucky would enjoy every meal as much as he did those that Albert brought over.
Slowing the water flowing into the Long Tom with her usual flat rock, she stood and wiped her hands on her skirt. The only part of her better-than-ever life that wasn’t panning out so well was finding gold. The first few weeks their daily cleanouts were good—some days better than good, harvesting more than a hundred dollars—but lately, they couldn’t seem to scrounge up five bucks worth of dust and flakes.
Lucky rowed closer and she wondered what he’d bought this time. Her list of other things she’d acquire had grown recently, but unlike him, she was waiting. Buying things now, when they wouldn’t be staying here permanently, seemed useless and frivolous. They were here to find riches, not spend them.
Homer squawked and landed on the boulder a few feet away.
“You’re a little late,” she told the bird. “I already saw him.” Digging in her pocket for a raisin, she added, “But that’s all right. You’re still a good lookout.”
“Look out,” the bird squawked. “Look out.”
With Homer at her heels, checking to see if she dropped another raisin or two, Maddie walked to where Lucky pulled the boat ashore. “How was your trip?”
He took the time to kiss her—as she knew he would—before answering, “Good. How was your day?”
She followed him to the other side of the boat and lifted out a good-size bundle while telling him, “I think our honey hole has gone completely dry.”
“An empty sluice again?” he asked, gathering several things to carry to the tents. They now had three. Tents that was. Mainly for the things he kept hauling home.
“Yes,” she answered. Deep down, she couldn’t quite believe it. That unexplainable sense that had come to life when she first picked this spot along the river was still there. Gold still had to be here, too. Maybe she wasn’t digging deep enough. “Abe and Tim got a good-size nugget today, and Sylvester Whitehouse found some good color, but his rocker tipped over and cracked. I told him mining alone is difficult.”
Lucky held the door open with his foot, waiting for her to enter first. “Did you help him fix it?”
Heat rushed into her face. A few weeks ago she wouldn’t have cared a whit if another miner’s rocker had broken, and Lucky knew that. “I had to,” she justified. “He doesn’t have anyone else to help, and the brothers were busy, having found that nugget and all.” After setting the package she’d carried on the table, she changed the subject. “Albert made a ham today. He bought it off Wylie Roper. Wylie’s going upriver and didn’t want to haul everything with him. I’ll warm it up for you. You must be hungry.”
Lucky caught her by the waist when she turned to head toward the door. “I am hungry,” he said in her ear, “but not for food.”
Maggie giggled and leaned back against him. She’d never been in such good spirits, which, in truth, was rather spectacular. As was Lucky. The first time they’d come together as lovers she’d claimed it was better than finding gold, and had been right. All it took was one touch from him and her entire being grew more excited than gold ever made her.
“You think that’s funny?” he asked, kissing her neck.
She tilted her head, giving him more access. “You’re always hungry.”
He twirled her around to face him, and she looped her arms around his neck, stretching on her toes for a soul-shattering kiss. The kiss hadn’t yet ended when he started unbuttoning her dress.
Though it was what she wanted, she pulled her lips from his to whisper, “We have to finish unloading the boat.”
Without slowing his deft fingers, he answered, “The rest can be unloaded in the morning.”
The fear of theft no longer lived inside her nonstop, not with other thoughts overtaking her mind and body, yet she insisted, “We’d be better off to do it tonight.”
“We’ll do it tonight, all right,” Lucky answered. Pushing her dress open, he added, “I thought about this all day. Coming home to you.”
Shivering with delight as he dipped his head and kissed her from shoulder to shoulder, it was a moment before Maddie stated, “You say that every time you go to town.”
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