Secrets Vol 2

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  Miguel swore under his breath. Ignoring what she'd said, he straightened to pour a spoonful of something she assumed was for pain.

  Not wanting to take anything, she shook her head stubbornly. "You will need it," he insisted and she believed him. Giving in, she opened her mouth, and when she swallowed, shivered in protest at the bitter taste.

  She lowered her gaze and picked at the bedspread with a fingernail. "I-I need to use the bathroom, and not just to wash," she said, her voice as thin as thread.

  Miguel raked his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, but I don't have a bathroom," he said. 'That, along with the ice, is back in the civilized world. We do things simply here in Copper Canyon. You will bathe in the kitchen and, since I have no toilet, a chamber pot will have to do."

  Raine stiffened. She opened her mouth to protest again, and Miguel cut her off with a steely look. "I have some things I need to do downstairs. You had better stay put until I get back."

  His tone invited no argument.

  ******************

  A few minutes later, Miguel bent down and slid one arm beneath her knees. With the other wrapped securely around her back, he lifted her easily into his arms.

  He looked her straight in the eye, and warned, "Don't try my patience."

  Raine gnawed on her lower lip. Miguel carried her straight to the kitchen at the back of the house, a large airy room that contained a table, four chairs, and a cozy adobe fireplace. When she saw the big copper tub filled with steaming water, her arms tightened around his neck.

  "I'll be right back." he said, as he put her in a chair.

  Miguel left the kitchen and went down the hall. He returned with a chamber pot and placed it in a small room off the kitchen. Needing to relieve herself, Raine stood and started to hop toward it.

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  Firm hands grabbed her shoulders and prevented any forward motion. "Stop being so stubborn and let me help you."

  The pain medicine had taken effect and Raine was pleasantly drowsy. She smiled, as he lifted her into his strong arms again. Common sense told her that at this point, it really didn't matter how she got to the chamber pot as long as she got there. Besides, being in his arms again was delightful.

  Miguel set her down carefully, just inside the doorway. "All right, in you go, and don't step on that foot. Hold on to the pantry shelf for support."

  Raine was left with conflicting emotions waging war in her mind, a sweet confusion holding sway. She couldn't seem to drag her gaze from the strikingly attractive maleness he exuded.

  He cocked a dark eyebrow. "I can see the pain medicine is working. Do you think you can manage?"

  Raine's answer was an endearing smile and a slow nod.

  Miguel gave her a sideways glance. "I don't trust this sudden calm, whether you are under the intluence of laudanum or not." He released her, but not before saying, "I will wait right here."

  Though she'd been hugging each enchanting memory of the times she had spent in his arms, his comment brought her back to the present. Mon Dieu, Raine thought, so mortified that he might overhear her relieving herself!

  When she was done, Raine shyly opened the door, and Miguel carried her back to a chair by the tub. On another chair, close by, were two large towels, a washrag, a wide-tooth comb, and a bar of lavender soap. A woman's things, she thought with dismay. Although refusing to use the necessities would be foolish, she would rather scrub her body with lye and brush her hair with twigs than use his mistress's things.

  She lifted her gaze to his. 'That soap and comb can't be yours."

  Miguel stoked his stubbled chin. "No, you're right. The soap and comb belong to Carlos' wife. I have also asked her to lend you some clean clothes until we can get you some new ones of your own."

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  "I'm so thrilled,"' Raine said. "I always enjoyed dressing up like a gypsy for the Masquerade."

  Miguel shook his head as he rolled up his sleeves and then helped her to a standing position.

  Without the slightest hesitation, his fingers went directly to the buttons that remained on her blouse. Raine's eyes grew wide, and she slapped at his hands.

  "What do you think you are doing?" she cried, and clutched at her already torn bodice.

  Miguel glared down at her and stubbornly refused to remove his hands. "I am undressing you."

  She gritted her teeth. "I-I can manage on my own!"

  "No, you can't." With a swift tug, he snatched her blouse open, sending the few remaining buttons across the room.

  An ugly expression crossed her face. "You bastard."

  She snarled as he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up against him. Her legs bumped his hard, muscular thighs, but she hardly felt the stab of pain it caused in her ankle. He turned his dark gaze to her and she saw desire in it, along with anger and frustration.

  "Stop swearing at me. It isn't becoming."

  Miguel's eyes seemed to dance, just for a moment. "What are you so damn angry about? You were more than willing to lie beneath me outside in the middle of the desert."

  The reminder of her weakness toward him made Raine even more angry. "I wish you would go to hell." she said in a shaky voice.

  Miguel was tense. "If I believed such a place existed, I am quite sure I would get there without any help from you," he said bitterly. He undid the button at the back of her skirt and tugged it free. It fell to the ground about her feet.

  Raine's eyes turned a darker shade of blue as the significant bulge in the crotch of his pants pressed hard against her stomach. He pulled her more fully against him and held her. "I'm sorry" he said. "I shouldn't have done that."

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  The tear that slid down her cheek tore at his heart, the heart Miguel no longer thought he had. He swore softly between his teeth and backed up, but still held on to her so that she wouldn't fall. Looking down at her ankle, he saw that it was more swollen than before, and it had turned an angry red and purple. He knew if it wasn't for the laudanum, she'd be in an extreme amount of pain. Even with the medicine, she must be feeling some pain.

  Placing a finger beneath her delicate chin, he urged her to look at him. When she finally did, he could barely stand to see the way she felt about him, mirrored there. "Raine, your ankle is getting worse. I have to get you into bed as soon as possible. Will you please let me help you bathe?"

  She gave a defeated sigh. With a lowering of her eyelids, shaky fingers undid the tiny pearl buttons at the front of her chemise, then untied the ribbon of her pantalettes. Not knowing what to say, Miguel helped her remove the underthings before lifting her into the tub.

  As the water covered her body and his arms, she sucked in her breath. A heavy silence hung between them as he knelt close to the tub, and to Raine. When he caught her pained glance and held it, he saw she was woozy from the medication. "Don't worry. I'll be careful. I know your ankle hurts."

  Again, he was shocked at his reaction to this woman. Why was he always so eager to make love to Raine LeFleur? he wondered. He had spent the last three years of his life hating everything French, determined to have revenge on her father, and her people. It couldn't be just because she was beautiful. There were lovely women all across Mexico. Still, he had some strange attraction to her, an attraction far removed from lust. Raine was his enemy's daughter, he reflected. Taking her virginity was certainly an act of revenge, but she had come willingly. Was that what gave him such driving desire, and the need for her to give herself to him again, and again?

  Miguel shook his head. "Just relax. I will have you washed and back in bed in just a few minutes."

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  Raine took a deep breath, rested her head against the tub wall, and closed her eyes.

  He found himself staring—-just staring. His gaze devoured every inch of Raine's splendid beauty as she lay gleaming white in the tub before him. Her thick, dark mane swirled about the water and veiled her breasts, which were now
revealed high and creamy, tipped by small taut amber-colored nipples. His gut tightened, his heart thundered, and blood rushed to thicken his shaft. It was almost his undoing.

  He groaned and stiffly adjusted his position by the tub. A flood of crimson swept over Raine's face, but she didn't say a word. Nor did she open her eyes.

  Annoyed with himself, and with her, for getting into this situation in the first place, Miguel swiped up the soap and washrag and leaned over the tub. The water, resting a few inches below her nipples, as her entire body was presented to him, so slender, so delicate, so...beautifully feminine.

  Miguel slammed the washrag into the water, and her eyes shot

  open. He worked up enough lather to cover the entire top of the

  water with an opaque film. Then he pressed the washrag against her

  stomach and rubbed with a vengeance. He felt her shiver at his con

  tact with her naked skin. '

  He eased the pressure. After all, he was the one who had so stupidly insisted on washing her. It was not her fault that he was so hard his shaft cramped beneath his pants, making it increasingly impossible for him to stand—or kneel. He was the reason she was lying there naked, like a wanton, her breasts bobbing about with every movement of the washrag, making him want to slip an arm beneath her back and lift her until he could take those perfect nipples in his mouth and suckle them she screamed with wanting him. She hadn't wanted him to help her at all! Dammit! Why hadn't he listened to her?

  Raine bit her lip as desire visibly climbed up her neck and into her cheeks.

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  "I'll be finished soon," Miguel said.

  Finally, he stopped scrubbing and slid his hand under her long length of her hair, letting it fall over the edge of the tub to pool on the floor. When he placed a folded towel under her neck, Raine mumbled a shaky thank you.

  A cold sweat broke out on Miguel's forehead as he ran the thin, soapy cloth over her soft skin. Goosebumps appeared on her white flesh. He took a deep, unsteady breath. As he bathed her, it was as if nothing were between his hand and her slick skin.

  Raine gasped when he touched a sensitive spot on her inner thigh. She grabbed the hand holding the washrag and snapped at him, "Could you just help me wash my hair so we can be done with this?"

  She jerked the washrag away from him so fast, it went flying across the room and sloshed to the floor. Miguel's head jerked up just as fast to stare at her. The fire present in her eyes told him that she was feeling much the same sensations he was.

  Raine sat up and raised her knees in an attempt to cover herself, but the movement must have succeeded in causing her a great amount of pain. She groaned as she fell back against the tub.

  "Take it easy." Miguel stroked her hair, then stood. "I'll get a bucket of water, so I can wash your hair while it hangs outside the tub. I can finish faster that way."

  Raine glared at him. "Oh, so now you are in a hurry. oui?”

  'Oui!" he imitated gruffly. "And, I'm sure I do not need to explain why."

  "Talk about well-laid plans," he muttered under his breath, walking away.

  Ten minutes later, Miguel finished pouring the last of the clear water over Raine's hair. He threw down the empty bucket and stood over her. "When I bend down, you grab hold of my neck and I will lift you out of the tub."

  When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he lifted her to a standing position. Quickly, he wrapped a large towel around her

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  naked body. He looked up, eyes narrowed, at her sharp intake of breath. She lifted her chin in a stubborn movement as he hauled her into his arms and headed for the stairs.

  In the bedroom, Miguel placed her on the turned-down bed and went to remove the towel. Raine tried to evade him, and he grabbed a fistful of the towel and snatched it from around her. Air swept over her naked skin, and he could smell her clean lavender-scented body.

  "Hell! You can forget your modesty now, because there is not one part of your body that I have not already seen!"

  Raine saw heat darken his bronze skin and heard him groan as he covered her with a quilt. Relief at no longer being naked in front of him spread through her and she felt heated color rush back into her face. The quilt was warm and soft, and carried his scent. She was surprised to find that inhaling his scent could give her such a wonderful sensation. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

  Miguel sat next to her on the side of the bed. With an audible sigh, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and retrieved the same dark bottle and a spoon as before from the bedside table. But this time when he uncorked the bottle, he measured a considerable amount into a large spoon, and held it out to her.

  Raine made a childish face, and when she opened her mouth, he popped in the spoon.

  "Swallow," he commanded with an imperious tone.

  Holding his stare, she swallowed, but grimaced and shuddered as the medicine went down her throat.

  "It's laudanum," Miguel snapped. "It will help with the pain when I splint your ankle, and it will also help you get some rest. It won't kill you."

  "Imagine my relief," she returned.

  Before putting the bottle back on the table, Miguel thought briefly about taking a slug or two of it himself. When he turned back to her, Raine's thick lashes swept up, and the blue gaze that fastened on

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  him was not only lovely, but somber and searching.

  He moved closer and touched her cheek. "I’l1 try very hard not to hurt you."

  Raine's lips parted as if she were about to say something. Unable to stop himself, he gathered her warm body into his arms. When she sighed a delicious small sound of surrender, Miguel smiled against her mouth and lifted his hand to stroke her neck. He caressed her back, and his fingers slid over her bare shoulders toward her breasts. With deliberation he pushed the cover away from her skin and toyed with her nipples until she quivered. In response, Raine's arms laced around his neck and pulled him to her. She pressed her tongue to his. Her hands moved down his shoulders, closed around his back, as though she would press herself to him forever.

  Miguel was relieved to hear footsteps on the stairs, for although he would have liked nothing better than to continue, now was not the time. "Someone is coming," he whispered into her tangled wet hair.

  Raine's eyelids fluttered, her lips still parted with desire. He forced himself to release her and cover her nakedness with the quilt. When he gazed into her eyes, they were wide with unanswered desire and disappointment at his release, and more than a little glassy from the effects of the laudanum.

  It was then that he knew he had to keep his distance from her while she was hurt. He didn't trust himself, and he could no longer ignore that he wanted her to stay with him. Something he knew could never be possible.

  A swift knock on the door preceded Carlos' wife into the room. Her many silver bracelets shivered and sang with every movement. Halting at the end of the bed, she smiled at Raine and handed Miguel a stack of clothes just as colorful as the ones she was wearing.

  Miguel put the clothes on the end of the bed. "Thank you, Anna Maria."

  Again, the older woman smiled. "Carlos said that you would

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  need help with the senorita."

  Miguel nodded. "Yes, I do. Will you stay?"

  Anna Maria nodded. "Sí, of course, senor."

  Suddenly curious as to why Raine remained quiet, Miguel turned and saw that she was sleeping peacefully beneath the sunlight that poured through the window. The second dose of laudanum had produced the desired effect and he was relieved.

  He worked swiftly, and carefully, but even with the extra dose of laudanum, Raine winced and groaned several times in her sleep as he and Anna Maria put a gown on her and wrapped her ankle. Miguel hissed a curse and released a thin breath every time he witnessed her pain.

  When they were finished, he dismissed Anna Maria. 'Thank you."

  "De nada," s
he said and left, closing the bedroom door behind her.

  Miguel was badly in need of a bath, too, but when he left Raine's side it was only to move a chair close to the head of the big bed and sit beside her.

  He frowned. She was pale again and her hair was a tangled mass about her head, since it had not been combed after the washing.

  He leaned forward and checked her forehead and hands for fever. Thankfully, she had none. At least one thing was going in his favor today, he thought, and reached for the comb on the bedside table.

  Miguel had never in his life combed a woman's hair, and he thought that he should probably have Anna Maria do it, but strangely, he wanted to do it himself. As he gently lifted Raine's head, he arranged her damp hair over the pillow. He could relax a little now that he'd splinted her ankle and she was sleeping peacefully.

  When he gazed down at her, he was all too aware that her lips were pale. He knew he'd pushed her too hard during their long ride into Copper Canyon, and more since she'd injured her ankle. She'd done amazingly well and he'd given her no credit at all. No prefer-

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  ential treatment for being a woman. He shook his head. Most women would have given him nothing but tears and sulking. But Raine, he thought grimly, had given as good as she'd received. And in return he'd let his temper get the best of him, just because he'd been hard, and hot, and frustrated.

  Without thought, Miguel bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. Even in sleep they were full and soft against his. He had to force himself to close his heart against a passion he never knew existed. Before it consumed his very soul.

  Miguel combed the tangles with great care, keeping the tugging as light as he could manage. He trailed his fingertips over the wet silkiness, noting how exquisite it was. How exquisite she was. The part of him that desperately wanted a closeness with this woman marveled again at her beauty. Though the practical part of him was furious with himself for wanting something that could only bring misery to them both. He decided to leave her alone to sleep. The laudanum would keep her in that unnatural state for several hours yet, and he needed as much time to convalesce as she did.