Her legs slid down his, touched the floor, and she stood a bit unsteadily. His hands gripped her shoulders, then moved to the front of her shirt when she could stand freely. His gaze locked with hers as he began to unbutton her shirt, and Sophie’s breath quickened. She swallowed convulsively as he freed the first button... then moved to the next.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
His gaze never left her as he moved down her shirt, freeing every last button until the shirt gaped at her breast. His green eyes were intense, filled with hunger, sparkling fiercely.
Sophie’s face flushed with heat.
She felt suddenly shy, afraid to show him more. What if he didn’t like her? What if he found her lacking? She averted her gaze, but he wouldn’t allow it. He reached out, lifting her chin with a finger.
“Do you know what I want?” he asked her, his voice low and seductively soft.
She tried to speak past the knot that formed in her throat. “Yes,” she said with a gasp, and her heart thumped in answer.
He cocked his head, smiling slowly, seeming wickedly pleased with her response, and Sophie could do nothing but stand before him as he undressed her.
He stopped short of opening her blouse, and Sophie was afraid... afraid he would go on... afraid he would stop.
Sucking in a breath, she made up her mind and shrugged out of the blouse, letting it fall down her arms.
“God!” he exclaimed, and closed his eyes for the briefest instant. His nostrils flared slightly, his expression intense. He opened his eyes then, and his gaze fell fully on her breast.
Sophie held her breath as he looked at her.
“You… are... so beautiful,” he told her, and his hands reached out to touch her, tentatively. His palms cupped her, his fingers caressed her ... his thumb gently flicked across her nipple, and it was Sophie’s turn to lose herself in the satisfaction of his touch.
Her eyes closed.
She didn’t want him to stop.
Her hands covered his, pressing them gently against her heart. She wanted this desperately. There was no longer anyone to save herself for. Harlan was no longer a part of her life. She would likely never marry now, and she’d be a fool to turn away the one man who had ever made her feel so... much.
She never wanted anyone else.
If this moment was all she would ever have with Jack, then it would still be worth it. She would savor the sweet memory in her most private moments.
With a groan of pleasure, Jack fell to his knees before Sophie, embracing her. His fingers clutched her bottom, pulling her against him.
To hell with the hammock!
They didn’t need a bed.
His hands caressed her. With a hungry moan, he pressed his mouth against her, biting through the material of her trousers. His nostrils flared and his tongue stroked the rough material. She gasped softly and stiffened.
He didn’t want to stop touching her.
“I need you, Sophia,’ he said, his voice raw.
Silence rang in his ears.
She was afraid, and he didn’t want her to be.
“Let me,” he begged her. “Let me make love to you, Sophia …”
For answer, her fingers tangled in his hair, caressing his scalp, and the feel of them made him dizzy with longing. His heart jolted, and he began at once to unbutton her pants. She whimpered softly, and he cooed to her, soothing her.
“Beautiful,” he assured her. “You are so beautiful!”
He bared her, tugging her pants down. Her nails pressed gently into his scalp, and his body hardened.
Sophie moaned softly.
She looked down at him, and her heart fluttered within her breast at the sight of him... the feel of him... his face pressed boldly against her, buried in her dark curls. And then his tongue delved softly within, forcing its velvety way between her legs... warm and wet. With the delicious feel of it, Sophie lost any inhibitions she’d clung to.
Gulping in a breath, she parted her legs for him, begging him with her body to take what he wished. She wanted this desperately... but wanted to please him as well...
He pulled her down to the floor, and Sophie didn’t resist. He removed her pants, planting sweet kisses along her thighs... calves. She swallowed convulsively as he returned to kiss her intimately once more... and then he lifted himself to her lips.
For the merest instant, he stared into her eyes, his green eyes smoldering, and then he kissed her. Sophie’s heart jolted violently. She kissed him back, tasting what he had tasted. Her heartbeat quickened as he deepened the kiss, and her fingers at once sought the buttons of his pants.
She wanted to see him, too.
He moaned, his own fingers moving to assist her.
When his pants were undone, Sophie embraced him, pulling him down atop her. She wanted to feel him, experience him, love him.
Somehow, Jack managed to shrug out of his pants without breaking their kiss. He wanted more than anything to be inside her just now, but he wanted to please her more. And he wanted her to want this as much as he did. He wanted no regrets afterward. His hands sought and found her wetness, and the feel of it set his pulse to pounding.
“I love the taste of you,” he murmured, and felt her quiver beneath him. He pressed a finger into her body. “This is where I want to be, Sophia.”
She gasped softly, her body shuddering as he pushed his finger deeper.
“Can you feel that?” he asked, but knew she did. Her body arched to accept him. Her eyes closed in pleasure, and she gasped softly.
“Yes,” she whimpered, and peered up at him, her eyes fevered with desire. The knowledge pleased him. She was as passionate as she was beautiful.
He pushed higher, more firmly. “I want to be inside you,” he told her a bit desperately, leaving no mistake as to his intent. “Here.”
She nodded, but seemed unable to speak, and he pushed deeper, stopping at the barrier deep within her body. His heart leaped at the feel of it, and his emotions warred.
She had told him the truth: Penn was not her lover.
His breath quickened painfully and his hunger intensified. His body ached. He wanted to be the first and the last to spill his seed inside her.
He wanted her to carry his babies, wanted her for himself... always.
He buried his face against her throat, kissing her as he whispered, “Last chance to run, flower... no turning back after this... tell me you’re sure...”
He felt her nod, but it wasn’t enough.
His fingers caressed her maidenhead, waiting to breach it. “Tell me yes,” he urged her.
She gasped, her hands going about his neck. Her fingers dug into the back of his neck, but he wanted her to speak the words.
“Say it, Sophia,” he demanded of her.
Sophie shuddered beneath him. Her body tightened about his finger, hungry for what he would give her. He caressed her body, pleasuring her until she cried out.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, and tilted to urge him deeper.
His fingers pressed harder, deeper, and she whimpered softly.
Wetness, warm and wonderful filled her.
Bliss.
And then suddenly he was atop her, his body pressing into hers.
Sophie opened her eyes and looked into his, her breath coming labored.
“First and last,” he whispered enigmatically, and closed his eyes, forcing himself within her.
Sophie arched to receive him fully, crying out in delight at the silky feel of him as he entered her. He filled her deliciously.
She wanted him deeper and clutched his buttocks, pulling him inside her... inside her heart.
Forever.
I love you, Jack, she tried to say. But his name was the only word to emerge.
And then she was lost to the sensations his every thrust evoked. She gasped softly with every stroke, and cried out in ecstasy as her body sought that expanding thread of pleasure. It uncoiled within her, teasing her and teasing her until suddenly her body
found completion.
The world exploded behind her lids.
Jack felt her release in the intense shuddering of her body. Her tremors and her cry of passion thrust him over the edge. He cried out with his own release and clutched her against him, feeling in that moment an intense satisfaction he had never experienced before now.
If he lived a thousand lifetimes, this instant would be imprinted on his brain... if he died tomorrow he would die fulfilled.
This moment was what he had lived for.
This instant he had discovered what he had searched for all his life—he knew that now, because for the first time, joined with the woman in his arms, he felt complete.
He had searched a lifetime, and others as well through his studies of bygone eras and peoples... devoting his entire life to discovering the purpose of his existence and that of mankind itself... and all the while the answer had lain within Sophie Vanderwahl’s arms.
He’d be damned if he’d lose her now.
Chapter 27
The weather was perfect the next morning when they sailed into port: The sky was blue, the water was bluer, and the sun shone crisply.
Sophie’s mood was buoyant and filled with anticipation.
She had no regrets over the decisions she had made and even fewer reservations over the task left before her. She had no idea how long it would be before she faced Harlan at last, but she no longer felt the least bit of fear or sorrow over it. Harlan was a burden she was eager to have lifted off her shoulders.
If she was saddened by anything at all, it was the simple fact that her journey was nearly over, and at the journey’s end she would be forced to make new decisions... decisions that could take her far from Jack.
She didn’t want to leave him, and the very thought of it wrenched at her heart.
But maybe she wouldn’t have to.
She eyed the papers she had placed on his desk. He had yet to see them; he’d been so preoccupied.
Sophie wasn’t such a fool to believe that simply because of what they had shared she could have a life as his wife, but she did hope that perhaps he would allow her to stay on and assist him in his work. She didn’t want to go back to Boston, back to social engagements that bored her out of her wits, back to her mother’s home where she was expected to be perfect at all times, back to her restrictive dresses that sucked the breath and life and joy from her.
The thought of having to answer the first question about Harlan made her physically ill. No matter what he had done to her, she would never tell anyone the truth—except, of course, her mother and father, and they would likely try to talk her out of her decision. She could hear her mother now as though she were standing before her this instant, her expression dour.
Sophie, my dear, all men stray at some time or another. It bears no reflection on their ability to be a proper husband. Harlan is a favorable match. What will people say if you simply discard him to live your life as a spinster!
Well, by damn, Sophie didn’t care what people would say!
No one would understand, of course, but she didn’t need them to. She was beginning to like wearing men’s pants and shirts and was looking forward to getting dirt under her nails. The very idea left her as titillated as did Jack’s very presence—Sophie had never felt so breathless. It excited her beyond her wildest dreams. In her entire life she had never felt so alive and vigorous and full of energy and expectation. She couldn’t wait to begin their journey!
Every day would be an adventure!
She couldn’t wait to cook Jack and his crew breakfast!
It was silly perhaps, but she wanted to prove she could do it. She refused to give in. Practice made perfect. She knew that much from her drawings.
“Sophia!” she heard Jack call, and hurriedly finished packing the few items she intended to take. She’d discarded her dresses completely—no reason to take them at all. They were dirty and far too unwieldy besides. Instead, she’d borrowed a few more of Shorty’s trousers and shirts, stuffing as many as she could into the backpack Jack had let her borrow. She wore a pair of Shorty’s boots and socks as well, though the boots were at least three sizes too large for her feet. It couldn’t be helped. Jack had advised her they would be far more suitable to the remainder of the journey than were her slippers. So she’d stuffed the toes with socks, and could scarcely tell except by looking at them that they were much too big.
“I’m coming, Jack!” she shouted back at him, and shoved a few selected toiletry items into the sack.
He came to the door then, leaning against the frame as he watched her with that look in his eyes. He seemed to like to look at her since she’d begun wearing Shorty’s pants, and what was more, she liked the way that he looked at her.
Her heart leapt a little at the sight of him. “Jack,” she said breathlessly.
He always managed to do that... steal her breath away. The very sight of him left her dizzy. A single look of his made her heart dance against her ribs.
“Whenever you’re ready, princess.”
He wasn’t upset with her, Sophie knew that by the smile on his face, but she grimaced at his endearment. “Harlan calls me that!” she reminded once more, and hoped he would understand how it grated on her nerves. “Please don’t.”
He pushed away from the doorframe, straightening.
“Anyway, I’m ready!” Sophie assured him. “Except ...” She hesitated, glancing at the papers on his desk, wanting so badly for him to see them.
She went back to the desk, lingering there, plucking Harlan’s picture from the desktop. She couldn’t very well forget the picture when she’d tucked Harlan’s letter into the back of it.
Jack eyed it distastefully as she placed it, too, into her backpack, and gave her a look she couldn’t quite decipher. “By all means, you can’t forget that,” he said caustically, and then pivoted on his heels and left her to follow.
“Jack, wait!”
She wanted desperately for him to see her drawings.
Disappointment surged through her as he disappeared from her sight. It took her an instant longer to realize what it was that had rankled him, but when she did, she smiled a secret smile.
He was jealous, and that fact pleased her.
Quickly she seized the stack of drawings from his desk and placed them into her backpack, then hoisted the backpack over her shoulder.
He would discover her journey’s purpose soon enough. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt him to wonder just a little. Somehow, telling him about her decision to leave Harlan didn’t seem quite as fulfilling as the thought of showing him.
The market square was pungent with the aroma of fish and meats, sweetened only by the more elusive scent of fruits and vegetables.
Jack remembered the way through the tangle of booths, though it had been nearly three years since his last visit. He’d brought Randall and Pete with him, just in case Jose wasn’t in a forgiving mood. He would have preferred not to bring Sophie, but she’d been babbling excitedly about the breakfast she intended to make them, and he suspected he’d have had to tie her down to keep her from accompanying him once she’d realized their destination.
Anyway, Kell had gone after supplies, and the rest of his crew were busy setting up camp. And it wasn’t as though he didn’t trust them with Sophie, but he really didn’t trust Sophie with them.
Besides, he had promised her that she could cook for them. She wanted to help and he couldn’t quite bring himself to deny her. Nor could he help but be amused at the look of wonder on her face as she followed him through the market. Instead of overripe fruits and day-old meat that made up the market’s wares, one would have thought she were surrounded by nuggets of gold and glinting diamonds.
To her credit, she seemed eager to redeem herself to his men and unwilling to accept defeat. Unfortunately, his men were secretly praying Jack would banish her from more attempts. He’d never met a woman in his life who took such joy in her efforts and failed so miserably every time.
Jack actually found it a charming quality.
It wasn’t difficult to find Jose’s booth, and he recognized Maria at once. He was grateful Sophie’s attention had been momentarily distracted by a batch of particularly colorful peppers two booths away. She lingered to inspect them, lifting several and turning them in her hand as though they were precious gems.
Jack smiled a little at the sight of her, then returned to the unpleasant task at hand, hoping the peppers would keep Sophie’s attention.
Maria hadn’t changed at all, and her pretty face brightened as she recognized him. Guilt tugged at him.
“Jack!” she exclaimed, and leaped up from the stool she had been occupying.
“Hello, Maria.” He smiled a little uncertainly at her, and cast a hasty glance over his shoulder at Sophie.
Sophie’s attention was riveted on the peppers. As he watched, she began to select only the finest for the masterpiece breakfast she intended to prepare.
Jack had a sudden desire to be there at her side... to look over them with her... smell her hair... touch her shoulders.
She was beautiful, and it was killing him that she had to drag that damned picture of Penn around with her.
It turned his stomach to think of the two of them together.
Maria’s arms were around his neck the instant he turned around again. She nearly choked the breath from him. “Oh, Jack!” she squealed.
Jack patted her back, grimacing as he cast yet another glance over his shoulder at Sophie.
Considering the damnable picture she was carrying, he didn’t know why it should bother him so much that Sophie might be hurt by Maria’s attention. He ought to be more concerned with Maria’s feelings...
Or his own hide.
Jose came into the booth, his eyes narrowing in displeasure as he spotted Jack with Maria. If he’d had them before, Jack had no doubts any longer that her father knew. His stomach roiled again, and he grimaced at the older man’s expression.
“Get away from my daughter!” her father demanded at once, and came to pry Maria’s hands from around his neck.
Jack tried to assist him as best he could, hoping his immediate compliance would sweeten Jose’s mood, but Maria proved stronger than either of them realized.
To Love a Lord: A Victorian Romance Collection Page 48