Courting Carolina

by Chapman, Janet

  Jane felt guilty it was her fault that Alec felt rushed because she’d all but attacked him again this morning—although only a little guilty, considering he had attacked her back. Right after she’d collapsed beside him—her breathing as ragged as his—the man had somehow managed to find the strength to dress himself, undress her, then give her another wonderful taste of unbelievable pleasure.

  Jane had never been so glad she’d been born a woman. Oh, she might technically still be a virgin, but she certainly didn’t feel like one. Alec MacKeage might still be an underachieving ski bum of a scoundrel, but after last night she no longer could deny he was her scoundrel. “I do believe I finally understand what sex is all about,” she said just as they finally reached the trail.

  Alec turned to her with a chuckle. “You’re only now figuring out how babies are made?”

  Jane started past him toward camp, walking backward. “I’m not talking about procreation; I’m talking about sex. Or more specifically, the pleasure of sex.”

  “I’m pretty sure mankind wouldn’t have gotten past the Stone Age if making babies weren’t pleasurable,” he said, returning her smile with a thoroughly male grin. “It’s needed to counter the stress of raising all the little heathens it produces.”

  Jane stopped walking. “The drive to procreate is in every plant and animal on the planet, but having sex for the sheer joy of it even after a baby’s been conceived is almost uniquely human.” She canted her head. “And do you know why that is?”

  He stopped walking when he reached her and grinned again. “To make sure all the lust-blinded idiots hang around long enough to provide food and shelter and safety for the mothers and babes.”

  She nodded. “Exactly. Sexual pleasure creates intimacy between a man and woman, and bonds them as a couple.”

  “So we’re a couple now because of the pleasure we’ve shared?”

  Jane patted his chest, then left her hand there. “Well, I do find myself feeling rather proprietary toward you this morning.” She tilted her head in question again. “And I wonder what your reaction would be if a man walked up to me right now, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me quite passionately. Would you shove your hands in your pockets and casually stroll away—whistling?”

  His already deep green eyes darkened. “I might,” he said ever so softly, “after I beat the bastard to a bloody pulp.” He threw his walking stick into the trees and pulled her into his embrace, then leaned in until their noses were nearly touching. “But my hands wouldn’t be in my pockets; they’d be holding ye tossed over my shoulder as I strolled away—whistling.”

  Jane closed the two inches remaining between them and kissed him full on the mouth, then pulled away with a laugh. “Will you be my boyfriend, Alec?” she asked as she headed down the trail again so he wouldn’t see her holding her breath.

  She nearly suffocated waiting for him to answer, and then he only asked another question. “Would having a boyfriend get your father off your back?”

  “Probably not,” she said, stopping but continuing to look straight ahead.

  “Would being your boyfriend give me the right to stand beside you when you finally do face him?”

  “No.”

  “Jane.”

  She turned to see that he hadn’t moved from the spot where she’d kissed him, and beamed him the brightest smile she could muster. “Being my boyfriend would give you the right to share my bed every night, though.” She held up a hand to stop him from speaking. “Providing we always stop short of using my condom.”

  He dropped his gaze to the trail between them and remained silent so long, Jane realized she was holding her breath again when she started feeling dizzy.

  He finally looked at her. “We came dangerously close to needing it last night, lass,” he said quietly. “But the bond I believe you’re talking about is only realized with that final act of intimacy.” He slowly shook his head. “And I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen between us. It can’t, Jane, because you’re an all-or-nothing woman, and I…” He lifted his arms from his sides and let them fall back. “I have nothing to offer you.”

  She was suddenly so angry she almost stamped her foot. “I’m not asking you to marry me,” she snapped, spinning on her heel and marching down the trail again—only to squeak in surprise when he pulled her to a stop and turned her around.

  “Give me your word that you won’t suddenly disappear.”

  Jane lowered her gaze to escape the intensity in his and brushed at nothing on her jacket. “I believe only a boyfriend may ask for that kind of promise.” She pulled in a steadying breath and lifted her eyes to his. “So what’s the point of my staying? If I can’t even look at you without wanting to rip off all your clothes and lose myself in your body until time stops and the world ceases to exist but for the passion you ignite inside me, then why stay?”

  He dropped his hands and stepped back. “For the love of God, woman, ye can’t say something like that to a man.” He grasped her shoulders and got right in her face again. “Don’t do this, Jane; don’t drive an all-or-nothing wedge between us. Please, lass,” he said more softly, pulling her into a breath-robbing hug. “Just promise me ye won’t suddenly vanish.”

  She balled the back of his jacket in her fists at the feel of his heart pounding against hers. “I promise not to vanish.” She leaned away. “But I can’t promise not to want you.”

  He hugged her to him again on a deep sigh. “I’ll consider myself warned, then. And in return, I promise to let you trick me out of my clothes anytime ye want.”

  “Don’t do me any favors,” she snapped, trying but failing to get free because she didn’t want to hurt his ribs.

  He gave a sinister-sounding chuckle. “Trust me, the pleasure will be all mine,” he said with a final squeeze before letting her go and heading down the trail—forcing her to stare at his big broad shoulders, she realized with a sigh as she followed.

  And so began five of the most magical days of Jane’s life, where time stopped and the world receded until only the excitement of the moment remained, as she and Alec worked together laying out the wilderness trail by day and lost themselves to the pleasure of their passions every night.

  Well, magical until the afternoon everything went to hell in a handbasket.

  Chapter Eleven

  Alec didn’t know which he looked forward to more, spending his nights almost making love to Jane or spending his days working beside the smart and sassy woman. Then again, teasing Jane had its own rewards, considering how easily she rose to the bait, making her striking beauty nearly blinding when she was riled. Besides, he figured he owed her for deciding the next campsite simply had to be situated on a knoll overlooking the fiord, which meant he’d had to relocate two miles of trail to reach it. It didn’t help that she was absolutely right, Alec decided as he stared out at the fiord, because it really was one hell of a view.

  He stifled a grin when his last comment was met with silence, and turned to see Jane straighten to her knees to better glare at him. “You take that back,” she growled. “Henry Oceanus is a darling. The moment I met him I fell in love with that unfailingly polite, deeply intelligent, wise-beyond-his-years little boy.”

  Alec snorted and went back to placing rocks in a circle. “Like I said, he’s a prig.”

  Apparently not caring to have Mac’s nine-year-old son—who also happened to be her nephew—referred to as anything but a darling, Jane jumped to her feet to loom over him, her hands balled into fists. “He is n—”

  “He can also be a downright pain in the ass sometimes,” Alec said, cutting her off for the simple pleasure of watching her eyes fill with fire. “Just like his prig of a father,” he added, pulling her back down to capture her gasp in his mouth. “In fact, the only Oceanus I know who isn’t a petty little tyrant is baby Ella,” he said the moment he came up for air, referring to Mac and Olivia’s nineteen-month-old daughter—that he just now realized Jane probably hadn’t even met yet. Alec shrugg
ed. “But I’m sure it won’t take the little heathen long to catch up. Hell, even Olivia gets on my nerves sometimes, and she only married into the family just over two and a half years ago.”

  Alec worried he may have gone too far, apparently having rendered Jane utterly speechless. But being the bastard he was, he gave a derisive snort and said, “None of them comes close to Mac’s old man, though. I swear, Titus acts as if God himself crowned him king of the world.”

  This time Jane gasped so hard that Alec barely caught her from falling in the pit when she reared away. “You think the Oceanuses are…that they’re all prigs?”

  “Just most of the ones I’ve met,” he said, fighting a grin. He looked past her shoulder. “But Mac’s supposed to have a sister—Carolina, I think her name is.” He looked back at Jane. “Did ye happen to meet her when you stayed at Nova Mare? Talk in town is she’s quite a looker.” He sighed. “Although I’m guessing that being a beauty would only make her spoiled rotten.” He tightened his embrace when she tried to turn away. “So, did ye ever meet Carolina?”

  Her face blazing red, she merely nodded.

  “And?”

  “She is beautiful. And she’s personable and intelligent and not the least bit spoiled. And Henry is a remarkable young man, and Mac’s a wonderful husband and father, as well as a good brother to Carolina. And their mother, Rana, is the embodiment of love.”

  “And Titus?” Alec quietly asked. Seeing the fight leave her as suddenly as it had arrived, he touched his forehead to hers. “What was your impression of the old man?”

  “He appeared to love his family very much.” She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “Titus only gets stern and dictatorial when he cares deeply about something, especially if it concerns his family.”

  Alec leaned away so she’d see his smile. “You mean like your father gets?”

  She hid her face in his neck again, apparently horrified at her near blunder—except he’d swear he heard her snort. “My father and Titus could be twins,” she said, her breath fanning—hey, did she just lick him?

  And that sure felt like her hand cupping his ass when Alec suddenly found himself falling sideways until he was flat on his back and Jane sat straddling him, sending all of his well-trained blood cells rushing to his groin. She pinned his hands down—thoughtfully holding his forearm instead of his nearly healed wrist—and lowered her nose to nearly touching his. “Will you willingly say you’re sorry for calling Henry a prig, or must I make you beg for mercy?” She wiggled intimately against him when he hesitated. “Have you not come to know me well enough to realize you needn’t bait me, Alec?” she whispered huskily. “You need only look at me to stir my passion.”

  Well, she had him there. “I, ah…” He cleared his throat when she wiggled again. “Aye, Henry’s a remarkable young man, and Mac is only a pain in the ass some of the time.” Lord, save him from sexy princesses. “And I’ll take your word for it that Carolina is as sweet as she is beautiful,” he ended with a threatening growl when she wiggled again. He bucked her off and rolled until their positions were reversed, not missing that the fire in her eyes was no longer angry. Aye, he simply should have asked. “And I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Rana,” he continued, “and I agree the world could use more women like her. And lasses like you,” he added thickly, swooping in for a kiss—only to stop in midswoop when he caught the distant but unmistakable sound of a shod hoof striking a rock at the same time Kit gave a soft warning growl.

  Alec lifted a finger to his lips signaling Jane to be silent, then cocked his head to listen to what was definitely several horses heading toward them, noticing that Jane was also holding her breath, also listening, her eyes widened in alarm.

  “You and Kit go hide,” he whispered, lifting away and pulling her to her feet. He clasped her head in his hands to hold her facing him. “There’s more than one rider, but it’s likely just Duncan and Mac checking to see if I really did beat myself up in a fall or if I’m playing hooky,” he said, not wanting to alarm her further that there were more than two horses approaching. “You know the drill; head to the grotto. It’s set up for you to spend the night if ye have to, so just sit tight until I come get you or you hear my signal.” He waited until she nodded, then kissed her before looking her in the eyes again. “Don’t panic and vanish on me, okay?”

  Mimicking his hold, Jane clasped his face, the only difference being her smile. “I’d be more worried about never getting rid of me if I were you,” she whispered, just before she kissed him—lingering a bit longer than he had, he couldn’t help but notice.

  In fact, he had to unwrap her arms from around his neck and step back, hearing her mutter something about how time was supposed to be stopped as she grabbed her small backpack. “Go,” he said when she hesitated to look up the trail. “And no matter what you might hear, you keep going.” He caught her arm when she turned away without nodding agreement. “Jane, you don’t exist.”

  She beamed him a saint-tempting smile and patted his cheek. “Then I guess you’ve been having one heck of a wet dream all week, haven’t you?”

  Nearly strangling himself stifling a bark of laughter, Alec turned her around and gave her heart-shaped bottom a robust pat to get her moving. Jane, however, didn’t even try to stifle her snicker as she shot down the knoll and disappeared into the trees.

  Kit stood watching her before turning at the sound of men talking, his hackles rising with his soft growl. “Nay, you go with her,” Alec said, nudging the wolf with his knee before turning to face the campsite they’d been preparing for the lean-to. Satisfied the ground was too littered with leaves and pine needles for distinguishable footprints and that Jane hadn’t left anything behind that said he had a woman with him, Alec knelt down and casually began placing more rocks on the half-finished fire pit. He sat back on his heels and made sure to disguise his alarm when six men rode into the small clearing—four of whom he knew and two he didn’t.

  Damn; he didn’t see this ending well.

  Duncan was the first to dismount, his face grim and his eyes narrowed in anger as he approached. “I’ve been calling your goddamned phone all morning,” he said under his breath when he reached him.

  Alec dusted off his hands and stood up. “I forgot to recharge it. Are ye out giving scenic tours of the fall foliage?” he asked cheerily, nodding toward Mac and the two strangers dismounting. Titus Oceanus, however, was apparently content to glare down his imperial nose at Alec from his saddle, and Sam Waters was…hell, the bastard looked like he was attending a funeral.

  “This is serious,” Duncan said quietly. “Carolina was kidnapped two weeks ago.”

  “She apparently escaped within a few days,” Mac added as he stopped beside Duncan. “But instead of running to safety, she’s been missing for the last ten days.”

  Alec made a point of looking at each man before locking his gaze on Mac—who seemed taller than usual, his eyes unnaturally bright. “So it took six of you to come ask me to help go look for her?”

  “No,” Mac said, a decided edge in his voice. “The others are here to make sure you don’t interfere when I leave with her.”

  Alec crossed his arms over his chest. “Carolina’s not here.”

  Titus prodded his horse forward, his also unnaturally bright eyes narrowed. “You dare lie to us?”

  Alec shrugged. “I’ve committed worse sins.”

  “Alec!” Duncan snapped.

  “By the gods, MacKeage,” Mac growled, “we’ve just spent several centuries scouring four continents looking for Carolina and our tempers are short. Give her up and you may continue breathing.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Assuming you were wise enough to keep your hands off her.”

  “What makes you think I even have her to give up?”

  Mac reached in his pocket, pulled out a pair of red lace panties, and slapped them down on Alec’s folded arms. “You know damn well who you’ve been hiding for the last ten days, yet you
didn’t have the decency to let us know she was safe? You have sixty seconds to hand her over before I rip you to shreds.”

  Duncan at least had the decency to pale when Alec looked at him. “Rana’s sick with worry,” his uncle said. “She needs to know her daughter’s safe and…unharmed.”

  Having little hope that Jane was well on her way to the grotto instead of hiding in the woods within earshot, Alec spoke directly to Titus. “If Carolina were here, she’d be perfectly safe.” He dropped his arms—letting the panties fall to the ground—and stepped closer to Mac. “And she’d be unharmed,” he quietly growled. He looked past Mac at Titus again. “But it’s been my experience that when a grown woman goes missing, she usually has good reason.”

  “Alec,” Duncan cautioned under his breath.

  Alec kept his eyes locked on Titus. “Considering your daughter’s obviously intelligent and resourceful enough to escape kidnappers, I imagine she’ll show up when she’s ready. I prefer you not touch that,” he said, turning to the stranger who’d been quietly working his way around the campsite and was just bending to Alec’s backpack.

  Alec started forward when the man ignored him, but ran into Mac when the wizard stepped in his path with a lethal-sounding growl and gave him a hard shove—which brought a lethal feminine growl from the woods.

  “You leave him alone, Mackie!” Jane shouted, rushing into the clearing. “He didn’t know who I—”

  She was cut off in midshout when the stranger dropped the backpack and snagged her around the waist on her way by, then lifted Jane off her feet when she started struggling against him. “No, Nicholas, let me go!”

  “Let her go,” Alec snapped as he started toward them, only to explode in a blur of motion when Mac grabbed his shoulder and swung him around. Using the momentum of his turn, Alec elbowed the wizard in the gut, then followed through with a fist to his jaw before spinning to plant his boot in the stomach of the second stranger rushing toward him. He then went after the bastard carrying the now cursing as well as struggling Jane tossed over his shoulder as he headed for the horse beside her father.