“How much more?” she asked in a soft husky voice as she reached out and trailed her fingers over his stomach, enjoying the way he trembled at her touch.
“This is a dangerous game you’re playing,” he said as he slowly pulled her into his arms.
“Who says I’m playing?”
“I know you’re innocent, Ella, but I also know you’re not stupid.”
“How you flatter me, sir. I am quite overcome.” She kissed the hollow of his throat, smiling faintly when she heard his breath catch.
Harrigan was beginning to get the feeling that he had lost control of the situation, but doggedly continued trying to make himself understood. “I want to make love to you, Ella. Kissing and this idle play is not enough. And once I get started I am not sure I’m going to be sane enough to even hear a no, let alone heed it. I want you that badly.”
“Well, I shouldn’t worry about that, Mahoney,” she murmured as she straddled his body and brought her face close to his. “You won’t miss me saying no because I have no intention of saying it.”
A soft squeal of surprise escaped Ella when Harrigan held her tightly and rolled over so that she was sprawled beneath him. She smiled as she curled her arms around his neck, but when she tried to pull his mouth down to hers, he tensed. Ella wondered a little crossly what was holding him back now.
“If you have any desire to hold on to your chastity, you’d better get out of this bed now,” he said, his voice husky and faintly unsteady.
“I have a desire, to be sure, and it has damned little to do with chastity.” She almost laughed at the way his eyes widened in shock.
“Ella, I’m—”
“—talking far too much.”
She yanked his mouth down to hers and kissed him. To her delight he gave up all resistance. Ella greedily accepted his fierce kiss, returning that barely restrained ferocity with her own.
When Harrigan began to kiss her throat, she curled her fingers into his thick black hair and tilted her head back. Nothing had ever felt so good. She felt only a brief unease due to the strength of her own desire, but she easily pushed that aside. There was a good chance that taking Harrigan Mahoney as her lover could cause her some pain, but she was also sure that she would have some very sweet, fiery memories to treasure.
He slowly undid the small buttons on the front of her high-necked nightgown, tenderly kissing each newly revealed patch of skin. Ella trembled with a mixture of embarrassment and anticipation when he eased open her gown, exposing her breasts. When he touched her she lost all remnants of modesty, arching to his carress. He brushed his thumbs back and forth over her nipples until they were hard and aching. She cried out softly with delight and relief as he began to soothe that ache with slow, teasing strokes of his tongue. When he enclosed one hard tip in his mouth and began to suckle, she shuddered, tightening her grip in his hair and holding him close in silent, greedy encouragement.
It was not until he pulled his mouth away from her breasts and began to trail kisses down her midriff that she realized he had removed her nightgown. He untied her pantaloons, covering her legs with gently nibbling kisses and strokes of his tongue as he eased them off her. As he moved out of her reach, she clenched her hands at her side, her eyes closed as she let herself be completely caught up in the feelings washing over her. Her whole body trembled. Every part of her that he touched was warm and alive. There was an aching inside of her, an almost painful tightening low in her belly. Ella did not think she had ever felt so good.
The minute he was in reach again, she clutched at him. He slid his hand up the inside of her thigh to stroke her intimately and she jerked from the strength of the feelings that tore through her body. As he kissed her she slid her hand down his stomach, planning to touch him in the same way. Even as her fingers brushed the waist of his drawers he caught hold of her hand and pulled it away. Ella experienced a brief check in her passion as she began to fear that she had done something wrong, offended him in some way. She cautiously looked at him but saw only an exciting look of desire and need on his face.
“I would like nothing more than to feel those soft, pretty hands touch me, but not this time,” he said, his voice little more than a raspy whisper.
“I need to make an appointment?” Ella was a little surprised that she still had the wit left to make ajoke, then realized that the invigorating feelings rushing through her put her in such a high good humor that she could not help herself.
Harrigan laughed shakily. Ella was a constant source of surprise to him and he realized that that only excited him more. Her humor also took away the small lingering doubt he had that she really understood what she was doing. She could not make jokes unless she was completely confident of her decision.
“No, you just need to wait. This time is for you, only you, although I will have a fine old time too. Don’t doubt that. I barely have the control to do what I’m doing now. If you start loving me back, I will have none at all. I can’t tell you how many times, as I have lain at your side, I have thought only of turning over and burying myself deep in your warmth. I still want to, but this is your first time and I know I have to go slowly.”
“I don’t think you have to go as slowly as you think,” she said, touching a kiss to his forehead.
“I don’t think I can wait much longer anyway.”
“For once we are in accord.”
He quickly shed the last of his clothes, easing his body back into her arms. They both trembled as their flesh met for the first time. Ella curled her body around his, moving her hands over his back as she tried to touch as much of him as possible. She did not think she had ever wanted anything as badly as she wanted him. Each touch of his hand, each kiss, made her ache until she was almost mindless.
When Harrigan began to slowly join their bodies, Ella grew still, her body so filled with anticipation that she found it hard to breathe. Then, suddenly, after one quick sharp pain, they were one. Ella heard herself cry out yet did not really feel the pain. All of her thoughts were centered on how exquisite it felt to be so close to Harrigan, as close as any man and woman could be. It was a moment before she realized that he was not moving, just lying stiff -ly in her arms as he stroked her with unsteady hands.
“Harrigan,” she said, her voice so thick and husky she barely recognized it as her own, “I may be innocent, but I believe there is a little more to this.”
He laughed a little breathlessly and brushed a kiss over her mouth. “I hope it’s more than a little,” he murmured against her lips as he began to move.
Ella wrapped herself around him, trembling as he kissed her, his tongue imitating the movements of his body. She groaned his name as the aching knot inside of her tightened, then cried out as it shattered, passion washing over her with a blinding speed and ferocity. For a moment she retained enough of her senses to feel his movements grow rough, then he tensed, pushing himself deep within her as he shuddered and called out her name.
Harrigan was still feeling stunned as he gently extracted himself from Ella’s grasp. He ignored her blushes when he returned to the bed with a cool, damp cloth and washed them both off. A little cautiously, he slipped back into bed, relaxing when she readily accepted him back into her arms. Despite her passion and her apparent readiness, he had still feared some sign of regret once their desire had been fed.
“Ella,” he began, idly running his hand up and down her side.
“I hope you aren’t about to ask me stupid questions or want to have a deep, serious discussion,” she murmured as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I’m feeling quite lovely just now and that would spoil it. I think I would like life to just pass me by for a moment or two.”
“That would be nice, but—” He smiled when she groaned softly. “It’s getting late, and we have to get moving.”
“And in one quiet little statement the man reminds us of all the reasons we shouldn’t be here like this. I thought we agreed not to discuss Harold and Philadelphia.”
; “We aren’t discussing him, but not talking about it doesn’t mean it all ends.”
Ella sat up and clutched the sheet to her breasts, almost smiling at the cautious look on his face. He was waiting for her to put an end to any chance that they would make love again or to cast aside their agreement and try again to talk him out of taking her back. They would be stealing moments out of time, but she did not want to do anything to stop that. The happiness they could find in each other’s arms might be a false one, but it was too sweet to throw away.
“Just as our agreement and all that has happened here does not mean that I will cease to try to escape.”
“Fine, but do you think you could stop kicking me in the face when you do try?”
She laughed softly as she bent to pick up her nightgown and pantaloons. “I will try, but that might depend upon my mood.”
He slid an arm around her waist and tugged her close, kissing her on the shoulder. “Then I had best do my utmost to keep you in a very sweet mood.”
“Yes, you had best do that.”
Even as their lips touched a sharp rap sounded at the door. Ella silently cursed as reality intruded far sooner than she would have liked. Harrigan groaned as he sat up, pulled on his drawers and went to the door. While his back was turned, Ella hurried behind the privacy screen to get dressed. She felt herself blush when she heard George’s voice recalling her to the fact that she and Harrigan were not really alone and might well have few moments when they could steal some privacy.
As she dressed, she wondered again if she was doing the right thing. Her innocence was irretrievably lost, but that did not mean she had to continue to be Harrigan’s lover. She grimaced as she buttoned up her gown. There was little chance of winning him to her side in the fight against Harold and she would be a fool if she thought he had to fall in love with her now. Stopping now simply deprived her of a great deal of pleasure and the chance to pretend, at least for a while, that he cared for her as much as she did for him and that they could build a future together.
She loved him; she knew that for certain. As he had joined their bodies it was not only passion that had swept over her, but love. Freed from her heart, it had coursed through her veins as fast and as strong as her desire. Ella did not know whether to laugh or to cry. It was nice to be in love, but she knew it would bring her more pain than delight if Harrigan did not return that love. Since she did not have much hope of that happening, she decided to take all she could and pray that it would be enough to ease the pain when he left.
“Look there, Louise,” Joshua said, nudging a dozing Louise awake and pointing toward the hotel. ”Ain’t that George?”
Yawning and rubbing her back, Louise straightened up from the wall she had been leaning against for hours and looked in the direction Joshua was pointing. “It is, and the little man is alone. Get the boys and try to corner the fellow.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be hobbling along right behind you.”
“What the hell do we do if we get the man?”
“I’ll be thinking of a plan while I hobble.” She nudged him to start him moving. “Hurry up. That big Irish fool could be right behind George.”
George’s soft whistle stopped abruptly as he turned the corner into a small side street and came face to face with a smiling Joshua. He took a cautious step back and bumped into someone. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Manuel and Edward right behind him. They nudged him lightly in the back and he moved a little further into the shadows of the narrow side street. When Thomas appeared a moment later escorting Louise, who seemed to have trouble walking, George was not really surprised.
“Might I ask how you found us?” He almost smiled when he saw Louise’s heavily bandaged foot peeking out from beneath the hem of her gown.
“By pure accident,” Louise said. “We rode the train into town, stepped off for a bit, and there you were walking back to the hotel with that damned Irishman. Our plan had been to try to get to Philadelphia before you could.”
“And what is your plan now?”
“Well, I think we will trade you for our Ella.”
“It won’t work.”
“Why the hell not? You are that fool’s friend, aren’t you?”
“One of his closest.”
“Then, if he is a true friend, he won’t want to risk your life,” Louise said coldly as she pulled her pistol and aimed it at George’s head, a little disconcerted when he didn’t even blink.
Her plan to use George to get Ella back had been hastily concocted, but she thought it had a chance to work. The calm way George was acting began to undermine her confidence. If he was not afraid, it was going to be difficult to make Harrigan believe her threats.
“What are you doing, Louise?” demanded Joshua. “I thought you were going to come up with a plan.”
“I did. As I just said, my plan is to trade him for Ella,” Louise replied, beginning to feel even less sure about her plan.
“What? Are you just going to walk up to Harrigan and say, ‘Here’s George, now give me Ella,’ as if you’re trading horses or something?”
“No. We’ll confront Harrigan, hold a gun to this fool’s head, and tell him to give us Ella or we’ll shoot his friend.”
“He’s not going to believe us.”
“Why not? He doesn’t know us from a hole in the ground. For all he knows, we’ve left a trail of dead bodies all the way here.” She glared at George. “And if you do anything to warn him or tell him we’re lying, I just might shoot you.”
“I cannot believe you could kill anyone, Miss Carson,” George said.
He spoke so softly, an almost tender look on his face, that Louise nearly smiled, but she quickly sensed her weakness and softly cursed. “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t shoot you. I could well have the stomach to commit a little maiming.” She nodded when he eyed her a little warily.
“This plan is as stupid as the one you had to stop the train,” grumbled Joshua even as he holstered his gun, and grabbed George by the arm.
“That plan worked,” Louise complained as Joshua started to lead George toward the hotel, she and the others quickly falling into step behind him. “This one might too. I suspect that Harrigan Mahoney isn’t the most trusting man in the world.”
“Probably not,” agreed Joshua. “And we could have one other thing to our advantage.”
“Really? What’s that?”
“That Harrigan undoubtedly thinks you are a dangerous lunatic.”
Harrigan frowned as he stepped out of the hotel and gently took hold of Ella’s arm. George should have joined them for breakfast. Although he had excused the man’s absence then, George’s lingering disappearance was beginning to trouble him. His partner had said that he was going to check on the horses and that he would meet them at breakfast, and it was not like George not to do exactly what he said he would.
As he started to walk toward the stables, Harrigan looked around. His gaze fixed on a group of people walking straight toward him and he stopped so fast that Ella walked right into him. Harrigan tensed as Louise and the others stepped up to him, a surprisingly calm George in their midst.
“We missed you at breakfast, George,” Harrigan said pleasantly, glancing only briefly at the gun Louise held on his friend.
“Ah, sorry, Harrigan, but I was unavoidably detained,” George murmured.
Ella tried to step toward her aunt, but Harrigan kept her firmly held at his side. “How’s your foot, Auntie?” she asked.
“It’s better, but you’ll be able to see that for yourself when you come with us.” Seeing the way some of the early morning passersby were eyeing her, Louise concealed her gun more carefully behind George’s back.
“I fear Miss Carson has another appointment,” Harrigan said, and he glanced down, almost smiling when he caught sight of Louise’s thickly swathed foot.
“You will give Ella to us or I will shoot George.”
Harrigan briefly wondered
how seriously he ought to take her threat. He looked at George, caught the faintest of smiles on his friend’s face and relaxed. Ignoring Ella’s gasp of shock, he stepped around the group and started to walk to the stables.
“Where the hell are you going?” demanded Louise.
“Well, I fear I don’t have the stomach to watch George meet his untimely end, so I thought Ella and I would just be on our way.” When two men stepped up to him, their badges shining brightly as the morning sun glinted off them, Harrigan was unable to believe his luck. “Morning, Sheriff, Deputy.”
“You having trouble, sir?” the older, heavier set one of the pair asked, looking at Louise and her friends with narrowed eyes.
“Just a small disagreement, sir,” Harrigan answered.
For a moment Harrigan wondered if he now had a perfect solution to the problem of Louise and a way to free George. One long look at the sheriff’s face, however, decided him. Even though he knew Louise’s threat to shoot George was an empty one, he did not wish to push the woman into too tight a corner. If there was a confrontation between Louise and her friends and the law, George could easily be hurt in the ensuing battle. There was something about the way the sheriff and the deputy looked at Louise and the four youths, as if they were something nasty dirtying up their fine streets, that made Harrigan very reluctant to set them on the group. He had seen prejudice before, still suffered from its sting from time to time, and he saw that poison glittering in the two men’s eyes. If he turned this particular branch of the law on Ella’s erstwhile rescuers, they could be in far more danger than George ever was or would be. Harrigan also knew that, if he did anything that brought harm to Louise, George would probably never forgive him.
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