Secrets Vol 2

  Savage Garden 159

  Chapter Eight

  The next week was like sunshine after a storm and Raine's ankle healed rapidly. However, when word arrived that the war raging just outside the peacefulness of the hidden village was rapidly coming a close, tensions returned.

  Quite suddenly, twilight descended and bathed the hacienda in render moonlight. Miguel drew rein on his mustang and gazing toward the second floor, saw a faint light spilling from his bedroom window. The air carried the sweet desert scents of a midsummer night. For a moment, a half smile almost curved his lips. Then his thoughts changed direction. He stiffened and the horse jerked his head and stomped on the hard packed dirt.

  "Easy," Miguel murmured, and patted his mount's neck here dismounting.

  As he climbed the front steps, he knew better than to pay any attention to the beguilements of summer because winter always folded. Of all people, he should know that, bitterly, he thought. Still, no matter how he tried to put a distance between himself and Raine, she still kept pace with him.

  Miguel knew he should tell her the news, and right away. To wait any longer would only make things worse for him. Soon, he decided, to hell with it. All he could think of was Raine in his bed, and he wanted long, slow, deep, wet kisses that lasted three days. But first, he went to the study and had two drinks, trying to avoid the fact that this all might end tonight.

  Thirty minutes later he walked into the bedroom. A small oil

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  lamp burned a low flame; the room was cool now, night mixed with the dim light and created exotic shadows across the length of the room. He stood for a long time, listening to the muffled noises of his own breathing, and hers. She looked so peaceful in sleep, so fragile with her long dark lashes resting on her cameo cheeks.

  Unbuttoning his shirt, his heart whispered, "Do you love me?"

  Raine lay on her back with one arm thrown above her head, her ebony hair in enticing disarray on the white pillow case. She had an arresting profile, delicate, feminine, each beautiful feature well defined. He loved her full red mouth. Gazing at her lips, knowing how they tasted, how soft they were against his, made his member grow throbbing and thick, strain painfully against his tight pants.

  He gave a low groan, as he watched with rapt fascination, the slow, even intakes of breath. His gaze moved over every inch of her. From the mahogany-streaked blackness of her hair that rippled over her shoulders, to the bare toes peeking out from the bottom of the cotton quilt.

  Exhaling an expansive breath, Miguel removed his shirt and sat on the bed. As he reached out to touch Raine in her sleep, kiss her neck softly, her breasts rose and fell above a narrow waist. They were round and firm beneath the cover, and filled his hands. He knew them by touch, smell, and taste. His sex was rigid and ready when her long-lashed eyes lifted, bright with startled vivacity.

  Awakening, Raine encountered a hungry look in the soft glow of lamplight, and for a second, glimpsed the brief bewilderment of Miguel's emotions. Then, suddenly aware of the weight of his hand on her breast, her nipple tightened and she sucked in her breath. It seemed she'd lost the total knowledge of how to breathe, let alone speak.

  His dark, muscled chest glistened with sweat. The moonlight drew dark contours along the defined lines of his stomach and shoulders. He lifted one eyebrow in silent question, and she waited for him to say something, remove his hand, anything. He didn't. His eyes boldly swept her figure, and she felt a flicker of tingling fire in her core.

  He gave her a small smile, and the sight seemed to light up the

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  room. Forgetting everything but him was so easy, heedless to all but desire. Uncertain, confused, and too aware of the dangers of succumbing to his seductive charm, she wondered how deeply her naive emotions were already entangled.

  Miguel stood and stripped away the rest of his clothing, releasing the full length of his erection. Raine uttered a faint cry as she devoured him with her gaze. Her lips parted. Then the bed dipped under his weight. He moved closer, so close she felt his heated breath upon her neck. She gave a low groan of pleasure. He caressed her with his hands, the movements skilled and sure, as he ran his fingers down the soft curve of her breast. She shivered at the pulsating heat that raced deep inside her.

  Angling his face, Miguel touched her lips, forcing her mouth open with his. He teased her senses with his tongue, as he continued to run his hands over her body, and lifted the soft cotton gown. She was breathless when he released her and took her face in his hands.

  "I'm going to fill you with my flesh. If you want me to stop...you'd better tell me now."

  The words alone sent blood rushing through Raine, her heart knocking against her chest. She wished he hadn't put it that way. It sounded much too ominous. But she didn't tell him to stop, she couldn't. She wanted him with all her heart and soul, if only for this one brief moment in time.

  Raine's breath quickened. "Do you want me because I am French, and taking me is somehow revenge?"

  He shook his head. "It has nothing to do with revenge. Not anymore," he whispered. "It has only to do with want and need."

  Miguel removed her gown and settled the inside of his thighs on the outside of hers. A soft moan escaped her throat. The hardness of his stiff sex pressed against her, and was so demanding, it scattered the last of her wits. He took her hands and placed them around his waist. Slanting his lips over hers, he brushed them with a feather light touch.

  She responded by running her hands up and down his warm muscu-

  162 Susan Paul

  lar back, over his firm buttocks, between his legs, until her long fingers trailed across his taut sac and wrapped around his sturdy shaft.

  With a low groan, he rested his face against the soft curve of her throat. "You have possessed me since the first moment I laid eyes on you. I'm no longer going to try to control it."

  "I thought—" Raine stammered.

  "You thought wrong."

  At his words, tiny sparks burst within her. Something strange was happening, as strange as this part of the world and just as beautiful. She shoved against his chest, needing the room to breathe, Miguel allowed her space, but slid a hand up the back of her neck as his fingers closed around her silky mane of hair. His gaze raced down her body, and the intensity of it made her shiver.

  Miguel hauled her close again, his hand trembled as he touched her cheek. "Before I ever touched you, I wondered if it were possible for your skin to feel as soft as it looks." He took her face in his hands, ran his thumbs over her jaw, pressed his lips to her forehead, her temple.

  When he stopped and gazed at her, Raine saw every detail of emotion flicker in his eyes. First wanting, followed by resolve, then brief doubt, and finally just wanting. He rested his face against her breast and kissed it. His body quivered and his lids dropped shut as he twisted her face so that her head would rest in his hand as he took her mouth in his as if he'd been hungering for eternity.

  This was no gentle lovemaking, it was hard and needy, and Raine could do nothing but open her mind and body to his. His mouth was hot, wet, and all consuming, his hands rough as they sought her breasts, and his touch burned a fiery path to her heart. Her nipples tightened deliciously. She cried out, moaned against his mouth, and the raw sound was one of pleasure not regret.

  "You're so very beautiful," Miguel whispered.

  Raine's body stiffened and shook. He kissed each part of her body, his tongue probed and titillated every soft region of bliss. She responded uncontrollably, shoving her fingers into the thickness of

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  his raven locks and pulled them until he moved above her, gritted teeth. Breathing as if he had run a hundred miles, he captured a taut nipple with his mouth and suckled needily. She arched her back moaning, entwined her fingers deeper still in the back of his hair, pulled him desperately against her.

  Her fingers tightened on his scalp the more he suckled. She wanted him to stop. She wante
d him to fall on top of her and thrust ;s throbbing shaft deep inside her and pump out his lust between her legs. Sweet, hot need consumed her body. Wordlessly, she shifted her gaze to his as he straightened. She saw his eyes were very wide and more black than she'd ever seen then before. His hands tightened around her waist and pulled back. He would not lose all control yet; she saw it in his gaze on her, heard it in the rasping of his breath.

  A seething, hungry fire twisted in Raine's core. Air rushed out of her lips in a long sigh as they parted. She closed her eyes and waited. He touched the tip of his tongue to her eyelids and the unexpected caress stole her breath away. Softly, he stroked her thighs, touched the moistness of her sex, caressed her with his fingers. She raised her body up toward him as his fingers continued to explore her slick opening.

  "I love every inch of you," Miguel breathed against her mouth.

  Then he pressed the evidence of his arousal against her hips, his chest against her breasts, covering her with his love. He was heavy, fall, hard, stirring with every beat of his heart. The telltale softening of Raine's body against his was unnerving and enthralling all at once. He needed her the way fire needed oxygen to burn. The thickening of his blood with passion made his voice low, almost rough, "Lay your head back and let me feel all of you, your texture, taste of your essence."

  Raine cried out as he moved down her body and ran his hands up the inside of her thighs, parting them. The touch of his mouth against the swollen wet folds startled her. Her breath caught when he took her sensitive organ gently between his teeth and flicked his tongue across it. The deep repeated sensuous penetrating and retreat of his

  164 Susan Paul

  tongue sent cascades of shimmering sensations through her. Any moment, she thought she would surely die from the pleasure.

  Almost as quickly as the unexpected caress had begun, he retreated and came to her face, placing his thighs between hers, and pressing his hardness just inside the mouth of her sex. "Did I displease you?" he asked in a low voice.

  "N-nothing could have pleased me more," she answered breathlessly, as the tip of her tongue traced the place where his teeth and tongue had touched her.

  "Next time you will taste me."

  "And, after I do...will you taste me again?" she asked seductively.

  Miguel groaned. "Until you can no longer stand it."

  The heated promise in his eyes caused a liquid fire to leap deep within her and escape her softness. A low sound tore from her throat. He moved his hand between their bodies and cupped her living heat with his palm. He watched with measured eyes, the fire created by his touch consumed her, drove her to near madness.

  Miguel lowered his face and seduced her mouth with slow, sure strokes that echoed those of his hands. He made love to her with words, slid his wide, strong hands down the back of her thighs and with one swift motion he lifted her to his waist. She clutched his shoulders as he positioned her and wrapped her legs around him in a flurry of need. When he claimed her fully, he threw his head back with a fevered moan, but his taking of her was slow and tormenting and brought her even greater pleasure.

  Raine was intoxicated as he moved inside her, withdrawing and gently filling her again. She made sounds like a woman in delirium. He gasped for air like a man near drowning. Her body heated by degrees and she moved around him, twisting, urging him on, her head tossing from side to side, her hands frantically clawing his thickly muscled back.

  The pleasure, when it peaked this time, was so extreme that it

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  sent her body racing far above the heavens on crazy streaks of bright light—so intense, she thought she couldn't stand it. Finally, her soul left her body and she fell back to earth sated and exhausted.

  She was back just in time to see Miguel throw his head back and stiffen in her arms. After several deep, desperate thrusts, he gave a loud cry and convulsed within her before exhaustion claimed him and his knees gave way. They lay there together for a long time, breathless and trembling.

  Sometime later, Miguel sat up on the edge of the bed and squeezed her hand. "There was a time when I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone. Now, I can't seem to imagine spending my life without you. "

  Raine couldn't believe her ears, and she was so much in love. But she had to know, "Do you love me?"

  Miguel reached out and caressed her face. "I love you more than I ever imagined I could love another human being. Will you marry me?"

  Raine put her arms around him and pulled him close, resting her head against his shoulder. "I love you, too," she said, "and I want to marry you, but what happens when the war is over. What about my father?

  'There is something I must tell you," he said.

  A shudder moved through Raine's body. His voice was calm, but there was something in it that raised fear in her heart, "W-what is it?"

  Miguel took a deep breath. "When the Mexican soldiers came for me earlier today, it was to take me to General Juarez. The war is not officially over, but the last major battle has been fought."

  "Are you certain?" Raine asked in soft voice. "They could be wrong."

  "No, they're not wrong," he said, then hesitated. "I have seen it. Many men are dead on both sides; even more are injured."

  Raine lifted her gaze to his. "Y-you went to a battlefield? Why?"

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  Miguel sighed, deeply. "Because I am a doctor, and men needed my help."

  Again, Raine could not believe her ears. "B-but you are a revolutionary."

  Teeth clenched against the pain, he nodded. "Only since this war began."

  She gazed into the face she knew so well—and so little—listened to words that made no sense at all to her. Unwinding slowly from his embrace, she reached out to touch his arm with a trembling hand. "Do you know who led the French in this battle?"

  Miguel lifted his hand and brushed a wayward tendril from her face. "Your father."

  Raine gasped and her hand flew to her throat. Oh, God...Papa! Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Tell me...is he alive?"

  He took her in his arms and held her fast. "Yes, your father is fine. My men have him safely hidden, not too far from here."

  Raine was unbelieving; she pulled away. But swiping at her tears, she couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. "H-he hasn't been taken to a prison?"

  Miguel shook his head. "No, my sweet. It seems that General Juarez feels Mexico owes me a debt of gratitude. To repay this debt, he will overlook the escape of one French prisoner of war."

  She touched his shoulder. "You did this for me.. .but why?"

  Miguel smiled. "Because, I love you."

  Raine moved to throw her arms around him, but he stopped her. "Now that you know your father is safe, and both of you are free to return to France, do you still want to marry me?"

  For a moment Raine was at a loss for words. Then, she said. "You just try and rid yourself of me, Miguel Chavez."

  The kiss he gave her was like lightning, striking her to the core. Then, without warning, Miguel jumped off the bed.

  "Hurry and dress," he said. "I have a surprise for you. Something that I hope will prove to you how much I really do love you."

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  Raine scrambled to her knees. "Tell me what it is!"

  "Like I said," replied Miguel, "it is a surprise."

  She leaned forward and took a swipe at him, but missed. "You black-eyed devil! At least, give me a hint!"

  Miguel wagged a finger and made a tsk-tsk sound. "If you want to know what it is, then hurry up."

  ******************

  They had barely reached the bottom of the long staircase when the front door swung open and Raine's heart caught in her throat.

  She looked up and saw that a gray-haired man in a dusty uniform was standing just inside the doorway, staring at her as if he was stricken.

  Raine's fingers flew to her mouth. "Papa," she whispered.

  About the Author:

  Susan Paul lives in sou
th Georgia with her husband, two daughters, and a cat named Gretzkitty. She models for Gayfers, holds a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and took a gold medal at the

  1995 National Championships in Atlanta. Some readers may re

  member her from Romantic Times Magazine's 1995 Booklovers

  Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, where she posed in the Mr. Romance Cover Model Pageant with the winner, Rob Ashton.

  She and her very own cover-model husband, James David Paul, i e featured on Heather Cullman's bookmarks for her latest historical romance. Since she was a teenager, Susan has loved to curl up } and 1read romance books-no one was surprised when she began to write them. If you are attending the 1996 Romantic Times' Booklovers Convention in Baton Rouge, you can see her in the Mr. Romance Cover Model Pageant, the costume competition, and autographing , at the book fair.

  170 Angela Knight

  ROARKE’S PRISONER

  BY ANGELA KNIGHT

  To My Reader:

  Will there still be romance and passion in the future? I hope so! Here's one vision of what may be in store for future generations. Enjoy!

  Captain Elise Morrell sat at her command center and wondered if she'd feel something beyond this numb defeat when the ship's engines exploded. She doubted it. Roarke's next blast would drown her star frigate in nuclear fire so fast none of them would even have time to feel the heat.

  Around her, at the five horseshoe-shaped stations that surrounded her own, her bridge staff sat with bent heads and white faces, staring down at disastrous readouts as their hands darted over the controls. Vidscreens surrounded them with images of the chaos on the ship's lower decks as her people struggled to save the Star Raker, while on the primary screen ahead of them, the Liberator cruised through space, waiting for Roarke's order to destroy them.