Johanna Lindsey, Once a princess.txt

by Once A Princess (lit)

  Tanya made good headway considering the thickness of the wooded area she was presently passing through. But it wasn’t long before she was wishing she had waited until after dinner to make her escape. As dark as it was, she couldn’t even begin to look for food until morning. And unless she stumbled upon a plantation or other dwelling where she could beg a meal, she’d have to hunt for it herself.

  But she did have her knife with her, so finding food wouldn’t be too difficult, just time-consuming. She had tucked the weapon into the bottom of her boot so she wouldn’t lose it in the river. But now she stopped long enough to empty her boots of water and put the knife back on the side where she usually wore it, using the time to listen carefully to the sounds around her.

  If that was a voice she had heard earlier, it could have been on the other side of the river. That was why she had swum to the Louisiana shore, an added precaution she had decided on at the last minute, and just possibly a stroke of genius. With a river between her and any pursuers, she had very little to worry about. But that was another assumption so she wasn’t going to count on it.

  On the negative side, she had stranded herself on the wrong bank of the river, with no money for the ferry to get back to Natchez. But before she considered swimming back across, which she wasn’t at all sure she could manage, she would try bartering Stefan’s fine waistcoat for the fare. She’d have to clean it first, for it along with the rest of her was coated with wet mud.

  Being reminded of the condition of her clothes, Tanya headed back toward the river. She had walked a mile at least already, possibly two, so it should be safe enough to get near the water’s edge for the few minutes it would take her to wash her clothes. Then she would have to find some place to get a few hours’ sleep, for after the day she had been through, she was utterly exhausted in both body and mind, and she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes simply be­cause she couldn’t think clearly.

  She found the perfect spot on the riverbank, with a fallen tree on one side holding back the river’s full current, and a drooping tree on the other side, both thickly branched enough to block her from view up and down the riverbank. She had planned to merely dunk herself again, then leave the water more care­fully this time, without getting muddy. But with the added concealment from the two trees, she decided she could spare the extra few minutes to scrub her clothes properly and wash herself more thoroughly, especially since she felt so uncomfortable and itchy she could barely stand it.

  Scanning the opposite riverbank first, which was no more than a barely discernible black outline, then the area behind her, thickly shadowed but quiet, Tanya proceeded to strip off everything but her boots. And from long habit she was nothing if not efficient, even when she was tired. It took five extra minutes at the most before she was dumping the water out of her boots again, shivering but clean, and wishing she could take the time to let her clothes dry before put­ting them back on. But time she didn’t have, and even though it was dark as sin in her little spot on the riverbank, she was too self-conscious to remain naked any longer than she had to.

  She was squeezing a few more drops of water out of her skirt when she heard the crunch of leaves directly behind her and froze, praying it was an an­imal, a dog, even a wild one. But if it had to be a man, considering her present naked state, she hoped it was only Stefan and not some stranger who might … Was she crazy? Stefan? Let it be Serge … no, not even him. Vasili. Vasili wouldn’t give two hoots to see her naked, much less be tempted by it—oh, God, she wasn’t thinking clearly! But the voice be­hind her was clear and familiar, and as cold as the river water still dripping from her hair.

  “First the white shirt, now the beacon of your white body. If I didn’t know better, Princess, I would think you wanted to be found.”

  Chapter 19

  The very idea of wanting to be found by him, was so absurd it didn’t bear comment. Not that Tanya could think of anything to say in that mortifying moment of knowing that Stefan’s eyes were upon her, and probably so brightly glowing, she wouldn’t be surprised if she now stood in two beams of yellow light. And that awful word—“found.” He’d found her because he’d spotted that damn white shirt she was wearing, his white shirt. She hadn’t even con­sidered how noticeable it would be in the dark.

  All her precautions for nothing. Caught—no, by God, not until he had his hands on her.

  Tanya whipped around, swinging her wet skirt high as she did, hoping Stefan was close enough—­and alone. He was both. The heavy skirt slapped across his face, blinding him for the seconds she needed to dash past him.

  His sound of rage was terrifying, more like an animal’s growl, and prompted her to run faster. If he hadn’t been furious already, she’d just tipped the scales. But she couldn’t think of that now. She simply ran, tearing through the brush, to hell with the noise she was making. She had to gain distance on him, enough to find a place to hide.

  The first sharp sting of a branch against her side reminded her that she was wearing boots and nothing else. Lord help her, where did she think she was going naked? But she couldn’t worry about that now either, not with that enraged devil so near. She couldn’t hear him behind her, but she was making too much noise herself to hear anything, and that just frightened her all the more, not knowing. She had to know.

  She sprinted to the side from the direction she had been running in and dropped to her knees behind a clump of ferns. She had to hold a hand to her mouth to silence her labored breaths, but no sooner did she hear Stefan’s pounding footsteps than he dropped down to his knees right in front of her, scaring the life out of her.

  She shrieked, then shrieked again as his weight bore her down to the spongy ground. A hand in the back of her hair brought her face up, and then his mouth was over hers and warning bells went off in her head. Not again! Didn’t the man know how to deal with his anger any other way? She kicked and bucked under him, but that just moved his body into a more threatening position. Without her skirt to ham­per him, his hips settled easily between her legs. If he weren’t fully clothed himself …

  It didn’t seem to matter when the bulge of his manhood pressed against the core of her. What she felt had to be as devastating to her senses, for her innards came to life, spiraling downward to protest, or welcome, Lord help her, she wasn’t sure which. But she’d never felt anything so strange and debilitating, frightening and thrilling at once. It temporarily took the fight out of her as she stilled to examine the sensation, but then she was snared by the passion in his kiss.

  She’d never tried to deny how much she liked his kissing, much as she wished it were otherwise. Now was no different, and it took everything in her to resist the urge she now had, to put her arms around him and kiss him back. Was he still angry? She couldn’t tell any longer, nor did she particularly care, if this was all he was going to do to her.

  That thought and every other one froze, however, when Stefan’s hand came between them to slowly discover the feel of her breasts. New sensations burst upon her senses, a tingling and tightening in her nipples that shook up her innards again. But his hand didn’t stay there. It moved down over her stomach, down to where he was pressed so tightly to her core. Then his fingers were there, entering her, and she tried to tell him to stop, but his mouth wouldn’t release her lips. And then she didn’t want him to stop.

  She bucked again, but it was an involuntary reaction this time, because what she felt could only be described as wildly pleasurable. All because he was angry? The man could get angry at her anytime he wanted …

  They heard it at the same moment, his name being called. It sounded a long way off, the voice unrecognizable to her, but probably not to Stefan. His head came up. She was being given another reprieve, only this time she didn’t want it. And this time she couldn’t see his expression as he looked down at her, to tell if he had worked off enough of his anger or if it was still there, just subdued—which was worse as far as she was concerned. He made love when he was furious, but he spanked
when he was only half so. She didn’t care to have another child’s punishment, thank you, yet she had no idea what to expect now. Even his eyes were too shadowed for her to tell if they were glowing.

  “If you ever risk your life again as you did by jumping off The Lorilie, I will find a stick, which is apparently all you are impressed by, and beat you with it,” he promised, his voice low at first, but it picked up in volume as he continued, leaving his no doubts about the depth of her anger. “Do you have any idea what I went through, searching for you in that river? For ten minutes I combed the water, thinking you had been struck by that paddle wheel, going crazy with fear because it was too dark to see anything! And when I do finally see something, it is your white­-sleeved arm, pulling you steadily toward shore without the least difficulty. “

  Tanya’s eyes had rounded incredulously long before he finished. His anger stemmed from concern for her? If he hadn’t said it so passionately, she might think this was another ploy. But she didn’t doubt that she had really frightened him, and strangely enough, she now felt guilty about it, which was utterly ridiculous. He was a despicable purveyor of prostitutes, wasn’t he? An abductor for nefarious reasons, at the very least. But a moment ago she hadn’t thought so. A moment ago she hadn’t thought about anything except the incredible new things he was making her feel, some of which she still felt, for he hadn’t re­moved his fingers from inside her yet.

  She doubted he was even aware of that fact, but she certainly was. It made it extremely awkward for her to answer him in kind, even to remind him that as the unwilling member of their little group, she had every right to try to escape, whatever the means.

  “Why don’t you say something?” he demanded.

  She had the feeling he expected an apology. He wasn’t getting it.

  With great effort, she remarked in a casual tone, “You know, if I was traveling with you across a whole ocean to this Cardinia of your imagination, and I had to worry about this kind of thing happening every time someone got you angry, I’d go crazy. What do you do when there isn’t a woman around for you to jump on?”

  “I wait until I find one.” There was a measure of amusement in his answer, but not in his voice when he added, “Did I hurt you, Tanya?”

  “A fine time to wonder,” she snorted. “Are you finished berating me?”

  “Probably not.”

  “What about the kissing? Are we done with that?”

  “Definitely not. “

  The mention of kissing must have recalled to him the position of his fingers. Suddenly they moved slightly.

  Tanya gasped and then snapped, “Well, you can’t have both.”

  “Certainly I can.”

  She was positive he was only teasing her, for his humor was blatantly clear now. He was probably grinning from ear to ear, though she couldn’t see it. She didn’t care either. It was the languorous com­bination of feeling tired but sexually aroused that weakened her protest. She had to fight to resist him. She managed it.

  “You aren’t even angry with me anymore, Stefan, so let me up.”

  He didn’t budge. “It would be a misconception on your part, little Tanya, if you are thinking I have to be angry to make love to you.” His head bent, his lips grazing her cheek all the way to her ear. With his warm breath sending tingles all over her, he con­tinued in a whisper, “I wanted you last night, today a dozen times, right now more than ever. Tell me to love you, Tanya. Demand it of me!”

  Nothing in half measures for this devil. Demand it of him? She definitely liked the sound of that. But she didn’t dare—did she?

  Tanya was that close to giving in to what she was feeling when some loud throat clearing announced that they were no longer alone. Stefan sighed, kissed her cheek, and leaned away from her. His voice, however, was terse when he addressed his unwel­come friend.

  “Though the loyalty that sent you into the river after me warms my heart, right now I could wish you to Hades. The princess requires a moment of privacy, so turn around.”

  Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment again. She was naked, but had temporarily forgotten that mortifying fact. He hadn’t. He sat up and shrugged out of his coat, dropping it into her lap as she sat up also. She donned it quickly, savoring the heat inside from his body, even though the coat was still quite damp. For a covering, it was far from adequate, with only a few buttons that would have closed at, Stefan’s lower chest, but didn’t even begin until Tanya’s navel. But at least it was a frock coat, full-skirted, that reached below her knees, so it served its purpose as long as she held it tightly closed.

  More sounds were heard in the brush now, as the other two drew near. Tanya found out who had discovered them first when Lazar called out, “Over here. “

  Coming back at him was the question, “Did you find Stefan?”

  “Yes, and he our little fish.”

  The “little fish” made a face that no one could see in the dark. She wondered if she could quietly slip away while they were shouting back and forth. The hand she didn’t see coming lifted her to her feet and stayed at her elbow to disabuse her of that notion. She wouldn’t be getting away again tonight. Stefan was definitely going to make sure of that. But tomorrow …

  Chapter 20

  It had been a goodly number of years since Tanya had slept outdoors, but she wasn’t startled when she awoke to humid river smells and grass tickling her nose. She was used to waking clearheaded and alert. Dobbs had taught her that, for he was his grouchiest in the mornings and quick to slap if an order wasn’t understood and acted upon immediately.

  She wondered about Dobbs now, and what had happened yesterday when he awoke in the late afternoon and she didn’t come running at his first yell—or his third or fourth, which had been the case lately as her independence asserted itself more and more. Who had opened The Seraglio for him? Jeremiah? But he was only good at pouring drinks. He didn’t even know how to replenish the supply.

  The list grew in her mind, of the things that needed to be done at the tavern that neither Jeremiah or Aggie would know the first thing about. And they had no dancer until April’s foot healed. For one or two nights they might be able to get away without entertainment, but then the word would spread and their business would drop drastically.

  Panic crept up on her as she began to envision her future livelihood suffering a severe setback because she wasn’t there to watch over it. The Seraglio might even be forced to close, or worse, Dobbs might make a deal with someone else. Her entire future could be ruined by this forced absence. Damn Stefan for find­ing her last night.

  They had returned last night to where she had left her clothes, she and Stefan going on ahead, so she had time to dress before the others joined them. Ste­fan had decided to wait out the night there, and much to Tanya’s disappointment, since she had hoped to slip away again while they were all sleeping, he had set up a watch, with each of them taking turns through the night. They had had no fire, no blankets to keep warm, and she had slept in her damp clothes, while the men had stripped down to almost nothing so they could spread their clothes out on the surrounding shrubbery to dry.

  Tanya hoped they had had the decency to, now that it was light, but she hadn’t looked yet. She had turned over onto her stomach during her sleep, so her own clothes were still damp where she had lain on them. But the men were awake. She could hear low-voiced conversations, though they had re­verted to that foreign language they all knew, so she didn’t bother to listen.

  They were undoubtedly making plans, deciding which direction to take. She wondered if they knew the area, because she certainly didn’t, not on this side of the river, nor on the other side for that matter, not this far from Natchez. But that was their problem. Hers was finding one more opportunity to part com­pany with them, a virtual impossibility because none of them would trust her farther than they could reach.

  She finally turned over and sat up, finding them gathered near the water’s edge. Vasili and Serge sat on a log, Vasili trying to
buff the mud from his boots with a handkerchief. Lazar squatted on the ground counting money, so one or more of them must have been carrying some when they decided to come after her. Stefan stood facing the water, possibly consid­ering hailing some passing river craft. She could have told them that was a good way to get robbed and killed with so many unsavory types traveling the Mis­sissippi these days, an option only for the really des­perate. She was desperate, but they weren’t, not yet anyway. But then they weren’t exactly upstanding honest people themselves, were they? she thought disagreeably. So they would probably fit right in with thieves and murderers.

  Her movement had drawn Serge’s eyes to her, then Lazar’s. When they didn’t look away from her, she glanced down to make sure the waistcoat was still covering her breasts adequately. It was. Looking back, she saw Vasili staring at her now, too, and he seemed surprised, almost amazed. Well, what the hell?

  “Have I grown two heads or something?” she demanded irritably.

  Stefan turned at the sound of her voice, took one look at her, and uttered a curse that burned her ears.

  Lazar started laughing at that point, Serge smiled, but they all still stared at her as if they were looking at something that totally defied belief.

  Tanya wasn’t usually so dense, but she was so used to being properly made up before she faced anyone, even Dobbs, that it didn’t occur to her immediately that her camouflage was washed clean away. When she did finally recall scrubbing herself from top to bottom last night in the river, she repeated Stefan’s curse, though silently. She wasn’t supposed to have run into them again after she did that. And look at their damn reactions. She was rendering them speechless, for crying out loud. Well, not quite.