by Carrigan Fox
“I’ll help you two finish up. I feel fine,” she assured him.
“Mother would kill me if she could see you right now,” Marcus reminded his sister. “As it is, I fully expect to be reprimanded by Grandmother.”
“Grandmother recognizes that you’re a grown man. She won’t say a word,” Chase argued. “If anything, she’ll reprimand me for not knowing when to quit and come inside. Or she’ll talk about how hideous it is to be a sunburned woman. And what will society think?” she mocked pettily.
“Yes, I’ve noticed that she’s been especially watchful of you lately. That’s not like her. What did you do to make her distrustful of you? Were you sneaking off to the saloon again to play cards?” Marcus joked.
“Of course I was. I was supposed to be a young man, after all,” she reminded him.
“Fair enough. How did Reese do?” he asked with a knowing smile.
She only grinned back at him and opened the door to the stall. The horse inside was stunning. She was a chestnut brown with a white diamond on her forehead, between her eyes. “Hello, beautiful girl,” she cooed to her. Chase stepped inside and reached out a hand, allowing the animal to smell her and get accustomed to her. Then she began rubbing the side of her face.
“You like her?” Marcus asked, leaning against the doorway of the stall.
“She’s beautiful,” she said, smoothing her mane and rubbing her shoulders.
“I got her for you. She arrived while I was gone. Tom had to pick her up.”
Chase was speechless for a moment. “For me?” she finally asked. She pulled her head down and looked into her black eyes. She could see my face reflected back, wide-eyed and smudged with dirt.
“Sure,” he answered simply.
“Does she have a name?”
“Name her whatever you’d like. Grandmother told me your horse at home was Artemis. Some Greek queen or something.”
She smiled at his ignorance. “Artemis,” she said softly, still stroking her smooth face, “is the Greek goddess of hunt. She is the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo. And unlike her brother, she was chaste and independent. She scorned marriage, preferring the company of a variety of animals of the forest, animals that were sacred to her.”
Marcus shook his head. “I can see why you like her,” he laughed.
She looked at him and smiled, reaching up to scratch Artemis between her ears. “Thank you for her.”
“Take her for a ride. We’ll finish up here. Just make it back for dinner, or Elisa will hunt you down. And that is one goddess you don’t want to anger,” he joked.
Tom silently helped her saddle up Artemis. She then mounted and moved her slowly out of the stables. They walked lazily for a little while, and then headed across the ranch and away from the house. They trotted through fields and ducked under the few occasional trees on the ranch. Her nostrils flared, and she snorted with pleasure as she picked up some scent.
Chastity let her follow her nose, and she came up short beside a good sized pond. A couple of trees stood close by, providing some shade. She dismounted and tied her to a tree. She kicked off her shoes, peeled off her soaking wet socks, and pulled up her pantlegs. The water was cool on her hot feet. It was easily the most refreshing thing she’d felt all day.
She paused long enough to check her surroundings before stripping out of her clothing and running into the water. It didn’t feel as cold as it had at first; it was perfect. She leaned her head back into the water and smoothed her hair back from her face. She was floating on her back with the warm sun on her breasts and stomach, when a sound startled her. She dipped low in the water, hoping that whoever approached couldn’t see through the murky water.
“You realize you’re trespassing, don’t you?” he drawled, as he stooped and picked up her trousers and shirt.
She stared dumbly at his blond curls and tan face. He had no shirt on, and his chest was even more beautiful than she remembered. She could feel the heat of him still, remembering their kiss in room 217.
“Hello,” she greeted guiltily. “I didn’t realize I was trespassing. I was riding,” she nodded at the horse, “and we ended up here. Nobody was around, so I…”
He stood on the shore of the pond, staring at her.
“Say something,” she ordered, uncomfortable with his silence. She wondered just how much he could see from where he stood and dipped lower, treading water at a level that required her to keep her mouth closed.
“You’re face is sunburned,” he finally said. “Does it hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.” Another awkward silence followed. “Are you going to stand there staring at me, or are you going to leave so that I can get out?” she finally asked.
He grinned back at her, seeming to have regained his composure. “I’m not leaving,” he answered. “I came for a swim, and I’m getting my swim.”
“Then I’ll be on my way. Turn your back,” she ordered.
He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. “How’s the water, Cochrane? It looks fantastic.”
Her heart raced in panic. Surely he wasn’t coming in here with her! Granted, it was a large enough pond, but swimming naked with Colton Webb? The Atlantic Ocean wouldn’t be large enough to make her feel comfortable!
“Webb!” she shouted. “Stop it! Turn your back so that I can get my clothes on. Then you can have your damned swim.”
He laughed and unbuttoned his trousers. They were opened enough that she could see the trail of hair from his belly button. The trail disappeared into the waistband of his pants, and as he unbuttoned, she was able to see more and more.
“Webb!” she tried again, hating the desperate twang of her voice.
He laughed and stopped, showing almost enough to be indecent. “Okay. Okay. I’m teasing you. Come on out.” He stood on the shore with his arms folded, no shirt or shoes, and his pants half undone. But he did not turn his back.
She cocked her head at him and scowled.
He finally surrendered with a laugh and turned his back.
She swam for the shore and ran to her pile of clothes. She clutched them to her and tried to dress at the same time, never daring to take her eyes off of him. “If you look, I swear that I will cut your throat,” she threatened. His shoulders bobbed with his laughter. Once she had her damp trousers buttoned and her equally damp shirt on, she said, “Okay. I’m dressed.”
He turned and looked at her. “Too bad,” he grinned.
She was suddenly grateful for the sunburn. With her entire face looking like a tomato, Webb couldn’t possibly see the blush in her cheeks.
“Ouch,” he said gently, moving toward her and examining her face. He pressed a thumb gently against her cheek. “Does it hurt?”
“Not much,” she answered, very aware of his nearness. His hair was already damp with sweat. Evidently, he was working as hard as they were today.
“Cochrane?”
“Yes.”
“I should warn you now.”
“Warn me about what?” I asked, confused.
“You shouldn’t be here. This is my property and my pond. And you shouldn’t be here,” he fumbled.
She knew then that he was going to kiss her again, and her entire body was on fire. But this heat was different. It consumed from the inside. She didn’t move when he took another step toward her. “Well thank you for warning me,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say or do.
He reached for her and pulled her against his body. Her hands were around his neck immediately, as their mouths found one another. The kiss was frantic, tasting as much as possible as quickly as possible. He pulled back finally, gasping for breath. “God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed. He planted gentle kiss on her nose and then her cheeks. He left a moist trail of kisses down her neck and then blew gently, raising the hair on her neck and arms. He kissed her mouth again, tongue rubbing against hers erotically. His hands pressed her back, pulling her body tightly against his. She could feel his arousal nestled betwe
en her legs. His other hand was warm on her now cool skin, feeling its way under her shirt and then up to caress her rib cage. His thumb brushed the underside of her breast, and she sucked in her breath. He pulled back for a moment as the pad of his thumb brushed the nipple, which responded immediately by puckering tightly.
“Oh,” she gasped delightedly. She closed her eyes to enjoy the pleasure even more. And then he kissed her again. He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked huskily.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“Touch me,” he ordered.
She allowed her trembling hands to trail down over his shoulders. She fanned them gently across his broad chest, loving the feel of the golden hair beneath her fingertips. She lightly brushed my fingers across his own nipples and watched them respond appropriately. She leaned forward and gently kissed his chest, enjoying the rough touch of his blond chest hair on her face.
He sounded like he was being strangled when he groaned.
“Are you okay?” she asked, suddenly worried.
He smiled down at her. “I’m great,” he whispered. He then leaned forward and kissed her again. His own hand trailed down her side and slipped beneath the waistband of her trousers, resting on her hip. He then cupped her rear and pulled her tightly against him.
She was beginning to understand how badly he wanted her. She could feel a warmth and tingling inside of her, and she was suddenly perfectly aware of where this was leading.
“You feel so good to me,” he muttered between kisses. He nibbled on her neck while his rough hands gently caressed her breasts. She didn’t want him to ever stop.
“Stop,” she whispered in agony.
“What?” he asked quietly, licking her earlobe and taking it between his teeth. Still, his hand worked its magic on her body.
“We have to stop,” she said more firmly. She pushed her hands gently against his chest.
He dropped his hands to rest on her hips. His warm eyes were clouded with passion. “Why do we have to stop?” he asked. “Was I hurting you?”
“No. Nothing hurt. It felt…beautiful,” she whispered.
He grinned down at her and then leaned in for another kiss. “No, Colton. This isn’t right. I may not be in England anymore, but I will be judged just the same. I will be labeled and ostracized and—”
“Chase, nobody would know. Just you and me…and your horse,” he added with a nod in her direction. “You’re so beautiful and clever and so strong. You don’t have any idea how appealing you are, do you?”
“I have been in Texas for one day now, Colton. But you know these people. How would they treat me if they knew that a young unmarried woman was carrying on with a man?”
“How would anyone know?”
“It would ruin me.”
He couldn’t meet her eyes. “Yes,” he answered. “And if word got out, no man in town would marry you.”
“Thank you for being honest.”
“Do you hope to marry some day, Chase?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Elisabeth has told me stories about your attempts to deliberately discourage men from courting you,” he answered with a small smile.
For the first time, she felt embarrassed about her behavior toward the other men. Until that moment, she had always considered her actions a show of her daring independence. Now she felt like a shrew.
“So has there ever been a man that you haven’t discouraged?” he asked with a sincere curiosity in his eyes.
Only you, she thought. But she responded with hostility. “I haven’t met a man worth encouraging,” she snapped.
A hint of a grin pulled on his mouth, but he fought to suppress it. “So this,” he waved his hand toward her and then himself, “this is supposed to be discouraging?”
She suddenly felt like he was questioning her innocence. “You think I’ve done this before?” she asked defensively. “No man has ever touched me like that. Never.”
“Until now,” Webb added for her. He didn’t even try to disguise the proud arrogance in his voice.
“You have a talent with women, don’t you?” she accused. “I’ve heard your stories with my own ears. Remember? ‘Mr. Webb’,” she mocked nastily, “’you make me positively hum.’”
His eyes darkened, but he remained silent.
“I am not a loose woman, Webb. I have let myself get carried away with you, and I hope that you don’t think less of me for it.”
“Christ, Chase,” he breathed, rubbing a callused hand over his face and into his hair. His hair stood on end, and she longed to reach out and smooth it down for him. Instead, she clenched her fists firmly at her side. “I think that you’re beautiful and passionate and clever. I don’t think you’re a common tart.”
She narrowed her eyes at his flattery. “You have a talent for making me forget myself. Perhaps it is best if I don’t see you any more,” she suggested.
“That isn’t necessary, Cochrane. I enjoy your company. You’re welcome to come and swim whenever you’d like. I will promise to try to keep my hands to myself from now on…if that is what you want,” he added.
Her grandmother’s words of caution came back to her, bringing a deeper heat to her cheeks. Or perhaps the heat of the sunburn was finally kicking in. “I won’t be back for a swim, Webb, as much as you might wish I would,” she muttered.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Now it was his turn to sound defensive.
“Only that you don’t stand to lose much if we were caught like this.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Chase. I would never do that to a lady.”
She scoffed at his choice of words. If she hadn’t stopped him, he most certainly would have ruined this lady, of that she was certain.
“What are you suggesting?” he asked.
“You could get the pleasure you crave, I would be ruined, my brother’s ranch would suffer as a result, you could profit from his losses…do you need more explanation? As if the thought hadn’t occurred to you.”
He took a step toward her. “I should throttle you,” he hissed. “For your information, the thought hadn’t occurred to me. And as for the bit about craving, that’s a bit of an overstatement. You may be beautiful, but you are the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever met.”
“I imagine that any woman with an ounce of intelligence would be a pain in the ass in your mind,” she countered.
“No, ma’am. Just you,” he drawled. “Please see yourself off of my property. I have a swim to tend to…unless you’d prefer to stay and watch.”
She snorted angrily, mounted her horse, and raced away from Colton Webb as quickly as she possibly could. And if she had her way, she would never see him again.
***
She was completely intoxicating. And it wasn’t only about wanting her body. Certainly, that was an issue now because of their frustrations, but he enjoyed her company. He enjoyed their banter. He enjoyed looking at her. She was more alive and full of ten times the spirit of any woman he had ever met. He even developed a respect for her when she came barreling down that driveway on that horse.
But if there was one thing he prided himself on, it was that he was an honest man. He wasn’t interested in putting her brother out of business. He was interested in her, and only her. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he could admit that he had never had these exhilarating feelings about another woman. Intoxicating, indeed.
He could still taste her and smell her. A part of him wanted her to turn that horse around and race back to him. He wanted to feel her skin on his. She was like warm silk. But a larger part of him was so insulted and angry by her accusations, that he truly hoped he’d never see her again. The fact that he’d developed a respect and a bit of feelings for a woman who thought so little of him was enough to make him want to be sick. Of course, he would probably get more satisfaction out of throttling her. He imagined wrapping his hands around her neck, and then the thought
of touching her anywhere brought his arousal back to life. He pushed his pants to the ground angrily and told himself to be satisfied with a cool swim. A vigorous cool swim.
CHAPTER 11
Chastity paced across the bedroom she shared with Reese. She had energy that would not leave her. She still felt the warmth in the pit of her stomach, courtesy of Colton Webb. She could not put him out of her mind, in spite of her efforts all evening. She had sat through a delicious dinner, chatting about the ranch with her family. She had bragged about the superiority of her new horse, Artemis. She had raved about the beauty of her new homeland, trying to focus on the freedom America had to offer her.
And she had never felt more trapped in her life. Every inch of her body, and a good portion of her mind, had argued for her to turn her horse around and dive into that pond with Colton Webb. She wanted nothing more than to feel his body against her own. But a small part of her knew that it would be a sin. It could ruin her…and her entire family.
And the worst part of it all was that even this knowledge wasn’t enough to make her stop wanting him. She needed to get him out of her mind.
“I thought for sure you would be asleep by now,” Reese greeted when she entered the room and saw her sister pacing angrily. “Marcus said you worked harder than most of his men today.”
She stopped pacing and clenched her hands at her sides. “I should be exhausted. But I feel like I’m so full of energy, I’m going to explode,” she explained. Her sister was too naïve to believe that her excitement had more to do with the memory of Webb’s caresses and kisses and less to do with feeding livestock and shoveling manure.
Reese grinned at her. “Marcus was convinced that after one day on the ranch, you’d be begging him to let you stay in the house and help Elisa with the garden or canning or cooking and cleaning. Woman’s work,” she laughed. “Boy did his plan ever backfire. You probably can’t wait to get back out there in the morning.”
She couldn’t sit there chatting idly and pretending that she hadn’t shared what she had with Webb that afternoon. “You must be exhausted, yourself,” Chase acknowledged. “It’s late. I’m going to go sit outside on the porch for a bit. I’ll be quiet when I come in so as to avoid waking you.”