His brow went up when he saw the lack of a lady’s saddle, which could mean only one thing. Astride and bareback. He glanced in her direction. Her face flushed a dark pink and her gaze darted away again. The lady’s thoughts weren’t exactly wholesome.
He lifted his attention to the horizon, knowing if he continued to look at her, his control might snap. As it was, he continued to fantasize about her bareback ride. The image made his cock ache. Thomas clenched his hands at his sides. Now was not the time to engage in sexual conquests, though parts of his body said otherwise.
Did she really support the Revolution? “You’re full of surprises, Mattie.”
“It’s Madelyn, and you still haven’t told me your name.”
“It’s probably best that I don’t.” Thomas wasn’t from around the area, but had recently come from Boston after Washington’s victory, to seek information on British troop movements and plans, a fact he’d rather not divulge. He’d been waiting on the beach for his brother, when she’d shown instead.
“But you kissed me,” she said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He smiled again. “Yes.”
Her lips pouted slightly. He let his gaze drift down. Her nipples had puckered under the wet fabric, where her breasts were pushed up and in his face by the fashionable stays that rested underneath. Every breath, every rise and the fall of her chest, nearly drove him mad with lust. He could throw her down on the beach and have his way with her, and something told him she wouldn’t object, but again, the action wouldn’t be in his best interest—or his brother’s. Though his brother used the betrothal as a ruse, Thomas would not cross the line, not unless Aaron cried off the engagement—or he decided to share.
He could only hope.
Thomas shifted on his feet to hide his growing problem. Any other woman or time and he might explore the attraction further, but he needed to leave and he hoped he reached Manhattan before the British leveled Long Island. Doubtful.
He lifted her up onto the stallion, enjoying the way his hands fit around her petite waist and the view of her bare legs. “Get off this beach and go home where you’ll be safe. Aaron will protect you. Don’t mention you saw me to anyone but him.” The knowledge was a test. If she was who he thought, they had another spy deep inside the Tory circles. If not, Aaron would silence her.
“You know Captain….”
“Yes.” Of course, he wasn’t going into detail. “Give him this.” He tucked a violet in her hair. Thomas’s signal to Aaron to get out. The Summers’ home was no longer safe.
She nodded. “Godspeed.”
“Godspeed, Madelyn.” He put his fingers to his brim again and she spun the horse around, heading for home. He watched her gallop away, tension gnawing at his guts. He wanted her, but she was taken, and his brother did not deserve his betrayal.
Major Benjamin Tallmadge had sent him to keep an eye on the Tory families on Long Island. Madelyn was only a small part of his assignment.
Thomas had never gotten close enough to know there was so much more to her, and just how lucky his brother was. The last thing he’d expected was to pull her from the ocean half-drowned, only to kiss her, followed by a reciprocation that would be impossible to forget. Such passion should not be wasted.
Just what was her relationship with Aaron? She’d claimed she was taken and then quickly recanted. Aaron certainly hadn’t taken a taste of her yet. Madelyn’s behavior proved that. Innocent—but not for long if she continued to act in such a brazen manner. Aaron would not be able to resist what he’d sworn to leave be.
And Thomas shouldn’t have kissed her, but how could he not? The temptation had been too grave. Her clothes had molded to her body, showing every enticing curve. One taste and he was lost. Her lips were heaven, and everything forbidden, but he had a job to do and it didn’t involve seducing the enemy’s daughter—or his brother’s fiancée.
The raven-haired beauty had surprised him with her request. He’d seen the ships, but by the time Washington received the message, it would be too late to stop the invasion. This could be the biggest battle to date. God help them all. He ran into the woods and leapt into his saddle. He’d ride hard for where he’d anchored his ship, and hopefully not all would be lost.
***
“Good Lord, Madelyn. Have you been swimming in your clothes?” Aaron’s eyes narrowed on her the moment she stepped through the door. It had been her unfortunate luck the men were exiting her father’s study at the same time and caught her before she could get to her room.
Madelyn bit her lip and blushed. Her father, Aaron, Lt. Colonel Rogers, and Captain Simcoe all eyed her. Her father in disgust—Simcoe and Rogers not so, but the way they looked at her sent an ill feeling into the pit of her stomach.
Water dripped onto the floor in a puddle. Sand stuck to her skin and hair. Her appearance certainly didn’t speak of a lady of distinction, and her father had to be furious. No proper woman would swim in the ocean. Madelyn tried to cover her breasts with her arms. How could she possibly explain? “I—”
“Should get changed.” Aaron shrugged out of his coat and dropped it over her shoulders, saving her. Anger flashed through his eyes for but a second, enough for her to catch it and know that it had taken all of his control not to attack the officers who’d looked at her in a less than polite manner. He reached up, plucked the flower from her hair, and twirled the stem between his fingers. “Been rolling in the meadow, too?”
Her stomach cartwheeled and heat crept onto her cheeks, spreading down her face and neck. She tried to relax, but her stays kept digging in. She needed to get away. Instead, she found herself frozen in place, unable to move. The stranger had said to give him the flower. For what purpose, though? Something told her she was about to find out.
Her father cleared his throat and glared at her. “Changing would be a good idea, Madelyn.” He motioned the men to the front door. “This way, gentlemen.” Aaron continued to stare, not moving to where her father directed. “Captain,” her father said. “I’ll return your coat as soon as I can.”
“I need a word alone with my betrothed.” Heat filled his eyes, promising more than he said. He intended to consummate the betrothal. It was all over his face. And there was something more, something he wanted to say, but didn’t.
“A word?” Madelyn blushed again.
“Or two.” The corner of Aaron’s mouth curled and Madelyn tugged his coat closed, hiding her breasts from his gaze. She’d seen the same look on the stranger’s face.
“I….”
“Will come with me.” He snagged her arm and pulled her up the stairs, not slowing his pace until he reached her room. Aaron pushed her inside and slammed the door behind them. “You’re betrothed. That doesn’t mean you can parade around like a harlot. I will not tolerate it, Madelyn.” Aaron locked the door. “It’s time we consummate this betrothal.” But the fury in his words didn’t match the expression on his face. Almost tender. Worried.
“Are we doing this to protect your cover?” she whispered, knowing he’d clearly raised his voice for the others to hear.
He nodded and lifted the violet.
“The man on the beach said I could trust you. There are ships—hundreds….”
He lifted a finger to her lips. “Take off your gown,” he said.
“Is this part of the…?”
He shook his head. A knock on the door and the soft voice of her maid called from the other side, “Miss, Madelyn?”
“Leave us,” he snapped.
A Patriot—Aaron would never have believed it if he hadn’t heard it himself, but the chance she’d taken to tell him of her affiliation with the rebels was enough to convince him she didn’t lie. And then the flower…. Thomas’s signal. He was to have a bouquet delivered to the front door of William’s home; instead, Thomas had tucked it into his fiancée’s hair.
Madelyn had been his way into the Summers’ home. They’d stood on divided battlefields—or he’d thought they had. It had been the very
reason he hadn’t pushed consummating the betrothal, and God knew he’d been tested, tempted, and fought like hell to keep his cock in his pants. “Listen carefully.”
She nodded.
He lowered his voice. “Wait until the sun sets and then I want you to leave here. Meet me in the woods. This house is no longer safe—the Patriots have targeted it.”
It had taken him months to get into the Queen’s Rangers and then twice that amount of time to get close enough to its commander to gather the information Washington needed. He’d known the moment he’d seen her sopping wet, there was more to her story than swimming in her clothes. And then he’d seen the flower.
Thomas had been with her, and Aaron was about to find out just how far their association went. Now that he’d brought her upstairs, he had no choice. Even if they didn’t have sex, her father would assume they did, and she’d be ruined for any marriage with another man. At least he would feel better about it, knowing she was on his side.
He would marry her. He certainly wasn’t the type to cry off an engagement after he’d sampled the goods. He had honor and a code he lived by. And yes, it was about time to take what he’d only been able to dream about, and he’d kill his brother if he’d gotten to it first. Not that he minded sharing, but her innocence belonged to him.
God, he wanted her, her strong will, and her oddities. One green eye and one blue. Her hair was a rich brown, earthy, and her skin like cream. She had curves everywhere a woman should and a smile that could lure a man to his death, and might very well, if he didn’t remember why he’d come to Long Island.
And her wet dress—God, that dress. The blush of her nipples peeked through the transparent fabric where the tips pebbled up under her bodice. It clung to her hips and legs, teasing him with a view to the juncture between her thighs. Madelyn Summers was more than beautiful. Sexy, lush, made to be loved, and his. And by God, he would have her.
“Come here.”
Madelyn lifted her chin and stared back. “Do you really want a wife? I thought this a ruse.”
Impatient, not ready for her resistance, he’d seduce her then. In two strides, he had her in his arms. “I want you. I’ve wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you.” He cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers. The fight in her faded away like a puff of smoke. Her mouth opened, allowing him access to the sweet heat. Aaron drew his hand down her back, working the buttons loose on the soaked dress.
“Will you deny me?” he whispered.
“No.” Her dress and pantaloons dropped to the floor.
Aaron scooped her up and carried her to the bed, lowering them both to its surface. His knee slid along her thigh, pushing her chemise up. She gazed into his eyes while he worked her last remaining garment over her head and dropped it on the floor beside the bed. “I will never leave you. Wherever you go, I will follow, protect you.” He leaned in and nipped her lower lip. “You will never need to fear me. I won’t strike you, nor will I take another woman to my bed. I promise to honor our vows until the day I die.” He brushed his fingers along her jaw. “Will you have me as your husband?”
“Yes,” she whispered back and brought the kiss to him.
As he pushed his cock in, she bucked up, forcing what would have otherwise been a slow glide inside. Her virgin’s barrier tore. She didn’t cry out, didn’t scream, but dug her nails into his ass. God, she was tight. So hot. So wet. He’d be lucky to last much longer. She rocked against him. “Please. I need you.”
Aaron hooked her under the knees and began to pump into her. Each thrust caused the muscles of her vagina to contract around him, and as he drew out, her pussy fought to hold him inside. More pressure tightened his balls, and his already impossibly swollen shaft hardened further. He wouldn’t last long enough to give her what she needed. “I’m going to go quick. I can’t do it this way.” The heat in her eyes would be his undoing.
He pulled out and flipped her to her belly, rocking her back on her knees. Aaron pushed into her from behind. Madelyn gasped and wiggled. He grabbed her ass to stop her. “Don’t move. I’ll spill before I bring you to climax.”
“Too late,” she cried. Her pussy throbbed around him. Spasms of pleasure kneaded his cock. Aaron couldn’t hold back; he was moments from coming. He began to pound into her. The smacking sounds of flesh slapping flesh, her whimpers and cries filled the room, winding him tighter and tighter, until he thought he’d explode. Her pussy pulsed around him. Pure heaven rocked him to his core. Within seconds, her orgasm took him over the edge with her.
Chapter Three
June, 2011, New Hampshire.
A hand clamped onto Ryann’s wrist and pulled her from the water and onto the beach, where she was dumped in a soggy heap. “Lose some weight. I’m tired of dragging your fat ass onto the beach.” John Wright, the male lead that played Thomas wiped his hands on his pants and walked away.
“Cut, cut, cut. You can’t say that, John! You’re killing me here.”
John glanced over his shoulder, but didn’t stick around to hear any more.
Ryann groaned. Asshole.
“That’s a wrap for the day, ladies and gentlemen. Be back here Monday at six a.m. to finish the beach scene—without the attitude.” The director threw his clipboard and stormed off.
“Lovely.” Ryann grabbed the stays that dug into her rib cage, adjusting them with a wiggle. Her breasts bounced at the top of the bodice and threatened to pop free. She stumbled to her feet, glaring at John’s back. He could have given her a hand up, but instead gave her a healthy dose of his better-than-thou personality, as he always did when she worked with him. No, she wasn’t a size three; she actually had a figure. “Real women have curves!”
If he heard her, he didn’t acknowledge it. It didn’t matter. There was nothing she could say that would convince the prick otherwise.
She never understood why, but he didn’t like her. Lately, the chemistry had become harder and harder to bring into the role, frustrating the director, frustrating the rest of the cast. John’s sweet nothings certainly didn’t help. Combined with the June heat, especially while draped in acres of fabric and dealing with black-flies that could drain a person of blood in minutes, it was a wonder they’d gotten as much filmed as they had. She slapped at one of the flies and headed to her trailer to change.
Who’d have thought they’d film the Battle of Long Island and the story of Washington’s Culper spy ring in New Hampshire? The director had decided New York wasn’t remote enough, so he’d dragged the entire crew to Bumkinville, smack dab in the middle of nowhere, improving John’s sunny disposition all the more.
No shopping, no fancy restaurants, not even a club. At least she still had wi-fi. Thank God for technology. Ryann picked up her Droid and looked at her email. A package has been left in your trailer. Please change into the clothes in the box and wait for further instructions. A shiver of excitement ran through her. The one-night stand.
Madame Eve told her if she couldn’t come to the date, it would come to her, and she’d delivered. If it weren’t for the filming of a romance, the thought of a ménage would have never entered Madelyn’s mind. But kissing her two hunky male leads, day in and day out, had left her with one enormous itch she needed to scratch, even if one of them was an asshole and the other married and off-limits.
So she’d contacted 1Night Stand. Discreet—all of the candidates had background checks. The gossip magazines would never get a photo or story—a personal guarantee came from the mysterious owner of 1Night Stand. This was Ryann’s one chance to live out a fantasy she’d only played on the big screen.
Ryann Summers—orphan, movie star, Oscar winning actress—lonely woman. All that would change for one night.
She asked for a couple of things: surprise her with the evening, give her an unforgettable night—one that would keep her warm when she was alone in her bed—away from home. She’d also asked that her dates not know her true identity. The last thing she wanted was that they learn she was a famous sta
r, even though the secret may be hard to keep. Not many people had eyes like hers, one blue and one green, or their faces plastered on ad posters all over the world.
She wondered where they would go, since so few choices were available. When and where were the mysteries. The anticipation of finding out had damn near driven her crazy all day.
Being A-list did have disadvantages, regardless of what the general public thought. She’d been lonely and had become tired of it. Add that to her lack of family, and she just managed to get through each day. Strangest of all—she never felt like she belonged in this time. She was happiest filming movies from the 1700s and had won an Oscar because her passion for the time came through in her work.
She didn’t even know if Ryann Summers was her real name. As a newborn, she’d been left at a bus stop, wrapped in blankets with a note saying so. The authorities had searched everywhere for her parents, but nobody came forward or tried to claim a baby with heterochromia.
Ryann stood facing the mirror while her assistant freed her from the overdress and stays. She sucked in a deep breath as the torturous device fell away. It would be two days before she’d have to put it on again—two days before she had to pretend to be in love and play the role she wanted to live. She sighed and waved her assistant away. “Have a good night, Jackie. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Jackie nodded and rushed from the trailer. Excitement covered her face. She and one of the cameramen had a hot affair going, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Earlier, she’d caught them fucking behind one of the sets while they’d taken a break from filming for lunch. Her panties became drenched as she’d watched. They’d been completely unaware they had an audience, and it was probably a good thing. She’d have a hard time looking Jackie in the face, if she knew she’d seen them.
Seducing Liberty Page 2