Captive Pride

by Bobbi Smith

  As his lips left hers to trail fiery kisses down her throat and across her shoulders, her need overwhelmed her senses. CC didn’t care about anything except Noah and the joy that came from pleasing him. Her nipples hardened as shivers of excitement coursed through her veins. She arched against the solidness of his chest, begging in mute testimony for the more intimate touch of his mouth upon her aching, throbbing breasts. When at last his lips sought out that tender flesh, CC cried out at the wonder of it and began to move beneath him as her hands caressed him in restless need.

  “Noah…Oh, Noah, I love you….” She said it before she realized, and yet her passion was such that she didn’t even care.

  Noah, however, was surprised by her declaration and he paused in his lovemaking, his moment of the mindless passion lost. She loved him…. Over and over she had declared her hatred for him, yet now, tonight, she was telling him she loved him? It didn’t ring true. His desire drained from him as he realized her presence here really was a lie.

  CC, caught up in the wonder of his ardor, didn’t notice the change in him immediately.

  “What is it you want, CC?” Noah asked, the cynicism of his tone muffled against the softness of her breasts. He was tense as he anticipated her answer.

  “You, Noah…only you,” she gasped, still in the throes of the feverish excitement he’d created within her.

  It bothered Noah to discover that he wanted to believe it…that he wanted to be the one who held her heart, but he wouldn’t allow himself even to pretend.

  “CC…I want to know what it is you want.” He repeated his question sharply as he braced himself above her on his elbows and glared down at her.

  “Noah?” CC blinked in confusion, her passion-dilated emerald eyes gazing up at him questioningly. She knew a moment of true apprehension as the smoky depths of his eyes turned to the impenetrable, steely regard she knew so well and hated so much.

  “I want to know the real reason you’re here, CC,” Noah demanded cuttingly. He watched the play of emotions on her face. She had never been adept at disguising her feelings, and Noah could read in her expression all the embarrassment that went with his calling her bluff. His heart sank as he realized that he had been right in his assessment. She was up to something. “Well?”

  “I don’t know what you mean….”

  “Spare me your innocence, darling,” he mocked her as he moved away, needing to distance himself from her shapely unclad body. “I’ve told you before how bad you are at hiding your true emotions.”

  CC shivered involuntarily and she wondered if her reaction was from the chill in the room or the derision in his tone. She answered simply, “I’m here because I want to be.” The truth…

  Noah strode across the room and parted the drapes as he stood at the window. Keeping his back to her, he retorted, “CC…I find that very difficult to believe. The last time we were together you vowed your hatred for me and wanted me to stay away from you forever.” When she started to speak, he cut her off and kept on talking. “I complied with your wishes. I stayed away from you as you asked. Yet now you show up here in my bed, and you tell me that you love me. Do you really expect me to believe it?” Noah faced her. “Or are you the type of woman who always wants what she can’t have?” His gaze rested heatedly on her lush figure. “Cover yourself, woman!” Noah barked the order.

  CC, seeing the desire revealed in his eyes, decided to make one last attempt at seduction. “Noah…Come to me, Noah…. I want you desperately….” In an alluring movement, she rose from the bed and walked enticingly toward him.

  Noah’s passion taunted him to take her and be done with it, but his logic asserted itself over his baser needs. Though he found the sight of her captivating, he kept a tight rein on his desire.

  CC came to stand before him and then lifted her arms about his neck. On tiptoes, she raised up to press her lips to his, hoping to distract him from his thoughts. Noah accepted her kiss with a minimum of participation. CC was puzzled by his lack of response. Wanting to break through his suddenly icy control, she began to rub herself sensually against him. Her sinuous motions did come very close to shattering his composure, but CC never knew it as Noah viciously gripped her by her forearms and pulled her arms from about his neck.

  Holding her away from him, he ground out, “I want to know what’s going on here, and I want to know it now.”

  CC was caught in a trap of her own making. She knew there was only one way to escape from the web in which she found herself entangled. The only solution was to tell him the complete truth from the very beginning.

  “You’re hurting me….” she protested.

  Abruptly he released her. “Get your clothes on.”

  No longer confident of her ability to seduce him, CC hurried to do as he’d commanded.

  “Start talking, CC,” Noah ordered as he tried not to watch her as she dressed. Desperate in his own way, he struggled to look anywhere but at her, for the sight of her tempting breasts and dark triangle of femininity at the junction of her thighs was all too appealing.

  CC sighed as she conceded, “All right, Noah.”

  With jerky motions, she tugged on her shirt, quickly buttoned it across her breasts, and then pulled on the trousers. She felt decidedly unattractive and very vulnerable, but she was determined that he not know of her insecurities as she turned to face him. Schooling her expression not to reflect her nervousness, she glanced up at him. What she saw there caused her to grimace inwardly.

  “Well? Why are you here? And what is it you want?” Noah folded his arms across his chest, the gesture making him seem even more unreachable, as his gaze bore unnervingly into hers.

  CC wavered…. Should she just blurt it out or try something else? Finally, knowing she couldn’t avoid it, she admitted, “I do love you, Noah. I have for a long time.”

  “Right,” he drawled sarcastically.

  “No, that is the truth.” CC almost took a step toward him, but his ominous expression put her off. “I freely admit that I didn’t want to love you, but…but sometimes we can’t control our feelings.” She gave a small, helpless shrug.

  “So,” Noah began somewhat bitterly, “you love me, and you came here tonight only because you couldn’t bear to be parted from me any longer. Is that what you want me to think? Really, CC, sometimes you do astound me. You love me, but you refused to become my wife….” His eyes were cold upon her. “Somehow, it just doesn’t fit.”

  Suddenly CC was angry. She had just bared her soul to him and he was mocking her. “I wouldn’t become your wife because you don’t love me! Do you think I wanted to be married to a man who doesn’t love me? You proposed, but you didn’t profess any feeling for me at all! I know you’re attracted to me physically, but beyond that, what do we have? You want to return to England, and I—”

  Noah was stunned by her outburst. She had said that she loved him. His heart was swelling with joy at the thought as the recognition of his own feelings surged forth. The emotion he had refused to confront for so long was before him now, and he knew without doubt that he loved her, too. Before he could speak and declare himself, though, CC went on.

  “And I want to help the revolution in any and every way I can. That was the reason why I came to you tonight. I knew that you wanted me. I came here with the intention of offering to become your wife if you would sell the munitions to Ryan at a lower price.” CC drew a deep, ragged breath as she paused.

  Noah went from overjoyed at the news that she loved him to completely furious at her for her deception, and his voice reflected the heat of his wrath. “So you’re making the ultimate sacrifice, are you?”

  “No…it’s not like that at all.” CC tried to convince him that it was no sacrifice on her part, that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but he was beyond listening to her.

  “The hell it isn’t, CC!” he snarled. “You didn’t want to marry me before, but now that you need something from me, you’re willing to barter your body to get it!”
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br />   “Noah! You don’t understand!” she cried, wanting him to know that she loved him, and even if she didn’t hold his love, she would marry him.

  “Oh, but I do, Miss Demorest, all too well.” Noah’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. “There’s one thing you haven’t considered in your approach, though. What if I no longer wanted to marry you?”

  His words were like a physical blow, and CC blanched. “Don’t you?”

  “I’m not sure….” Noah took a step toward her and reached out to tangle one hand in the velvet curtain of her hair. “Perhaps I should sample of the merchandise you’re trying to trade one more time before I firm up or dismiss the deal….”

  His hand tightened in her hair, and CC whimpered slightly as he pulled her to him. Noah’s mouth ground savagely down on hers, raping the sweetness there, and CC felt her knees buckle at his cruelty. She struggled to get free then, knowing that her cause was a useless one.

  “Noah…please…”

  “What?” He quirked a brow in sardonic disbelief of her protest as he drew back. “You aren’t willing to let me taste of the charms you want me to ‘purchase’ for a lifetime? Come now, CC, be reasonable.” His lips curled into a sneer as he jerked her tightly against him and ran his hands over her with insulting familiarity.

  CC felt degraded and abused by his actions. “Noah…I do love you. Please don’t do this….”

  “Do what? Take what you’re offering? This time, my dear, there can be no dispute that you are offering, can there?”

  Tears stung her eyes as she looked up at him, and for an instant Noah felt himself waver. Did she really love him? Had she been telling the truth, or was it a ploy? He was confused and angry, and he shoved her from him.

  “Get out of here, CC,” he told her brusquely, “and tell Ryan and all the others that my terms have to be met or I will sell the shipment to someone who has the money.” With that, he stalked to the door and opened it for her.

  CC stood in shock for a moment before snatching up the rest of her belongings and racing from the room. Noah closed the door quickly behind her, and when she heard him turn the lock, she could no longer prevent her tears from falling. In failure and misery, she leaned against the hallway wall as she pulled on the rest of her clothing. Disguised once again, she hurried from the now deserted inn.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  When the loud knocking on his bedroom door did not abate, Geoffrey angrily struggled to sit up in bed, taking great care not to move too quickly, for his head was still pounding from the excess of liquor he’d imbibed after leaving the party the night before.

  “Blast you, Bartley! What is it?” he shouted in irritation, and even the sound of his own voice pained him.

  “I’m sorry, m’lord, but a letter has just arrived for you.” Bartley’s tone was suitably apologetic through the solidness of the closed chamber door. “The bearer said it was extremely important.”

  “Just who was this ‘bearer’?” Geoffrey snarled as he climbed slowly from the comfort of his bed and began to pull on his red satin dressing gown.

  “He was a seaman from a merchant ship, m’lord. The missive is from your family in England.”

  Geoffrey was halfway to the door when he stopped, a frown creasing his brow. Incredulous, he asked. “Did you say it was from my family?”

  “Yes, Lord Radcliffe.”

  With great haste, Geoffrey unlocked the portal and took the letter from the servant. “Bring me a cup of hot tea,” he directed. Then, staring down at the envelope and immediately recognizing the strong, slanted lines of his father’s script, he changed his mind. “No…wait. Make that a generous portion of whiskey instead.”

  “Right away.” Bartley scurried off to bring his suffering master the libation he’d requested.

  Geoffrey closed the door and wandered back into the room, his mind racing as he tried to imagine what news could be in the letter. Since his “exile” to the colonies, his family had made little effort to keep in contact with him. His funds were deposited directly to his accounts, and they seldom sent any news. As he studied the envelope, he couldn’t help but wonder what major event had occurred to merit sending him a letter. Curious, Geoffrey sat back down on his bed and tore it open.

  Geoffrey—

  It is with the deepest of sorrows that I must send word to you of your brother James’s untimely demise. You are now the next in line for the title, and it is imperative that you return home at your earliest convenience. Your mother and I await your arrival….

  Geoffrey paused in his reading to look up and stare about him in stunned amazement. His brother was dead! He smiled in cunning delight at the news. So old James was dead, was he? Geoffrey couldn’t be more pleased. James had been a thorn in his side from the earliest days of their childhood, and he would not miss him. And, he thought with a real sense of triumph, I will one day be the earl—not James! Realizing then that there was more to the letter, he directed his attention back to the missive….

  James was killed in a duel by Lord Noah Kincade.

  Geoffrey’s eyes widened as he stared in utter disbelief at the news. Kincade had been responsible for his brother’s death? The same Kincade who’d had the gall to face him at numerous social engagements? The same Kincade who’d refused his challenge last night? He read on….

  Knowing what an expert swordsman your brother was, I cannot help but believe that it was a less than fair fight. There can be no peace in our family until justice has been served. Kincade must be made to pay for this outrage.

  Come home as quickly as you can. We need you here. All the past is forgotten. We will welcome you with open arms.

  Your mother and father…

  Geoffrey’s joy at the unexpected change in his fortunes was still there, but his hatred for Noah had intensified. Kincade had murdered his brother and had cowardly refused to accept his challenge last night. The man, if he could be called one, was a spineless fool who deserved what he got. No longer content with just proving Noah guilty of treason, Geoffrey was resolved to make him pay for his actions, and pay with his life.

  The single knock at the door brought him back to the reality of the moment, and he bid his servant to enter.

  “Your whiskey, sir.” Bartley placed the silver tray on the bedside table.

  “Thank you, Bartley.” Geoffrey was still a bit distracted as he considered the best way to proceed. It was only as the servant turned to leave that he spoke up. “Bartley…”

  “Yes, m’lord?”

  “I have a most important job for you….”

  It was late afternoon as Matthew and Ben sat in the parlor of the Hammond house, their serious expressions reflecting their grim mood as they regarded each other.

  “There’s no other way?” Matt asked, his tone revealing his disturbance over the news that Ben had just given him.

  “None. We’ve tried everything we know,” Ben confided. “You’re our only hope, Matthew.”

  Matt shifted uncomfortably at Ben’s request. He had hoped it would never come to this—a complete showdown between Noah’s goals and his own. When Noah had sent word to him earlier that morning that the Sea Pride had made port, Matt had notified the rebels immediately of the ship’s arrival. He had just received word back from Ryan Graves, through Ben, that they could not meet the terms of their original agreement with Noah. According to the rebel leader, their funds were completely drained, and there was no way they could come up with the additional money needed by the time Noah had demanded.

  “If you could just talk with your brother,” Ben was saying hopefully. “We will pay him the amount agreed upon. It will just take us longer to get it, that’s all.”

  “I know. I trust you, but…” Matt hedged, knowing what Noah’s answer was going to be even before he asked.

  “Matthew, we must have those supplies.” Ben’s gaze was earnest upon him.

  “I know, Ben.” Matt stood up, squaring his shoulders in an unconscious gesture against the battle of wills
he knew was to come. “I’ll do my best.”

  “That’s all we ask, Matthew. That’s all we ask.” Ben shook his hand fervently.

  “Faith,” Matt called to his wife. The women had retired to the kitchen to give the men the privacy they’d needed for their political discussion.

  Faith appeared in the parlor doorway with Ruth beside her. “Did you want me?”

  “Always.” Matthew gave her a warm grin as he moved toward her. “I must meet with Noah, so I’ll be gone for a while.”

  “It’s important?”

  “Very, but I should be back before dark.”

  “We’ll wait dinner for you then.”

  “Good.” He bent to press a soft kiss on her lips before retrieving his greatcoat and heading from the house. “I’ll be back.”

  When Matthew had gone, Faith returned to the kitchen while Ben and Ruth stood alone in the parlor.

  “There are problems?” Ruth asked tentatively as she gazed up at him.

  “Yes,” he answered tersely, trying to come to face the fact that they might not get the supplies they so desperately needed.

  “Is there anything I can do?” she offered sympathetically. She remembered how the injustices of the day had upset her husband, and she wanted to be of any help she could to Ben. He was such a dear man, and he had come to mean so much to her….

  Ben turned to Ruth, his eyes dark with unspoken emotion. “Just letting me be here with you helps.”