Ruse of Love

by Jerri Hines

“A message no doubt. One received. She needs to leave, Dr. Corbett. As soon as possible.”

  “I agree. I will arrange transportation to Williamsburg. Even if I’m not able to take her, she will be warmly welcomed and, above all else, safe.”

  Cutler nodded in agreement. “Given the circumstances it is necessary to keep your relationship with Rebekah secret so no one will go looking for her in Williamsburg. You being assigned here may work in our favor. No one will be able to link the two of you.”

  “I need to see her, though, Cutler. I haven’t pressed for fear of anyone associating me with her, but…”

  “I’ll make arrangements. I will get General Lincoln’s permission and will line up my personal physician if he has need, although my doctor may not be as handy with a gun as I understand you are.”

  Jonathan grinned. They laughed together and clasped hands. With the sunrise, Jonathan was on his way to Beaufort.

  Chapter Ten

  Cooler now, the obsessive heat of the Indian summer had fled. Much to Rebekah’s dismay, she had left the lovely house along the coast. She would have loved to have stayed, for she had found a semblance of peace in the place she said her vows to be Jonathan’s wife. A slight smile emerged on her face at the remembrance.

  For the first time in such a long time, she allowed her welfare to be dictated by another without fear of its consequences. She trusted Jonathan as she did no other; she trusted Jonathan to hold to his word—they would be a family, a true family.

  With Eliza Amelia’s birth came the realization of a love so strong, so immediate, awakening to an overwhelming joy. Through Rebekah’s eyes, she saw the most gorgeous of babies with a headful of dark hair and the largest blue eyes. Eliza Amelia was a beautiful baby and she was hers; hers and Jonathan’s… He promised her to accept the child as his own and she took him on his word…Eliza Amelia Corbett.

  Rebekah ignored a gnawing guilt in her. She refused to let her mind wander to Rory. She couldn’t. He tried to kill her and her baby. Her baby. Rory was only somebody she used to know; he was the past and she was determined to keep him there.

  Over the last month, she lived in this quaint farmhouse, which was neither large nor small—the house Ian’s father built when he arrived in the colonies. The saltbox home was situated along the waterway close to Beaufort. The house itself was in dire need of a white washing, but the interior was adequate. The house hadn’t been lived in except for a couple of elderly slaves who in essence retired from the main house in Charles Town.

  A barn sat not far from the house. Down the path, a couple of slave cabins that had not been in use since the house had been abandoned years ago now served as shelter for the entourage of hired guards.

  The rather large kitchen seemed to have been added on the original house. In the back, a dormant garden lay outstretched to the banks of the inlet waterway, leading to the ocean. From the upstairs back window, Rebekah could see the running water through the bare trees.

  Tonight she stood by the window and stared out into the dark night. A new moon gave way to a sky filled with brilliant stars, so many stars. She wondered where Jonathan laid his head this night.

  She received his note he had returned to Charles Town. He was unable to get a leave, but hoped it would be soon. So did she hope it would be soon. She glanced over at her sleeping child, having only moments before soothed the fretful babe. She reached down and gently caressed Eliza’s soft cheeks. The babe stretched and gripped her mother’s finger, cooing. A burst of love encompassed her.

  To think only last year she was desolate and lonely. Suddenly, a dog’s bark broke the night’s calm. Barney! Someone was here!

  Trepidation bombarded her, but she refused to leave Eliza even for a second. Her eyes glanced frantically around the room for something to defend herself. Voices carried up, unintelligible voices. Sully screamed.

  God in heaven, what was going on? Eliza awoke abruptly and cried loudly. Sweeping her daughter into her arms, she froze as the handle to the door turned. The door opened.

  Immediately, fear subsided, replaced with an overpowering sense of joy. Standing in the doorframe, her husband smiled at her: his eyes tired; his beard scuffled; his hair disheveled. But he was here. Jonathan was here.

  Sully rushed in, crying. “I tried to stop him, Miss Rebekah. Told him you were caring for the baby. Can’t just…”

  Rebekah rocked the crying babe in her arms but her eyes never left Jonathan’s. As in a trance, Rebekah handed Eliza to Sully, quieting her rambling maid. The next instant, arms wrapped around her, Jonathan’s arms.

  She felt his arms tighten across her back, lifting her to meet his lowering, parting lips. Openmouthed, the kiss enveloped her with a searing passion. She accepted his kiss, admitting to herself—and him—her desire.

  Rebekah closed the door gently until she heard it click. May, the wet nurse Esther had seen to obtaining, lay in the room with Eliza. But after the time Rebekah had calming her babe, she didn't want to risk waking her precious again.

  Warmth flooded her as she descended the stairs and heard laughter echoing out into the hall. For the first time in such a long while, she felt the sense of hominess; her husband was home…her child asleep. This is what I want. This feeling always.

  She found Jonathan sitting at the dining room table in conversation with Jasper. An empty plate pushed back from his space. A smile broadened on his face.

  "I'll take that into the kitchen for ya, Doctor Corbett," Jasper said. He stood and picked up the plate. "Glad ya made it down."

  "So am I." Rebekah moved across the room and sat next to Jonathan. "I wasn't expecting you tonight."

  "I'm sorry. I had no time to write. Cutler arranged a short leave for me. One of his men rode with me. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have never found this place. Quite secluded." He reached over and took her hand. "Besides, we needed time together. There's so much we need to arrange and I wanted to see you. To make sure you survived your confinement, which I see you did. Eliza's adorable, even crying as she was, and you...you look lovely."

  Rebekah felt a warmth flood her cheeks. She lowered her gaze. Despite his words, she knew well the sight she must present herself, suddenly conscious of the baby spit-up on her night robe. And what of her hair! She could do nothing with it the last few days except plait it back in a tight bun. Oh, she wished desperately she had known he was coming so she could have prepared for his appearance.

  "She has been the best babe. All the noise disturbed her...most times..."

  "Eliza's perfect," he said. He raised her chin up to meet his eyes. "You have recovered from your confinement?"

  His touch sent her body all a shiver, but it was the way he looked at her that sent her body all a shudder. There was no mistaking the meaning of his words. Nervousness enveloped her, sending her heart in a rapid flutter. She nodded. "I'm well."

  Jonathan edged closer and whispered in her ear. "Sully announced she readied a room for me. I told her there was no need. Was there a need, Rebekah?"

  Every nerve of her body set afire. He rose and brought her up in his arms. He was so close, she felt his breath on her skin. A shuddering excitement flooded her. He reached up and undid the bun holding back her hair. His fingers freed her hair from its plaits. Running his hand through her loosened hair, he paused for a moment. In the next, he cupped her face in his hands.

  "I want you, Rebekah."

  "I want this."

  Her words were smothered as his mouth crushed hers, invading, demanding, devouring her moist, yielding lips. Rebekah felt her body weaken at his touch. His tongue passed slowly along her parted lips. Her eyes closed. His lips eased from her mouth, kissing her cheeks, her eyelids, and back to her mouth. Soft and gentle at first, his kiss turned to a fiery heat that warmed her whole body.

  "I don't want to hurt you, Rebekah." His voice rang in her ears. Slowly she comprehended his words.

  Resolutely, she pushed her hands against his chest. "I'm not an innocent, Jonathan...," sh
e stuttered. "I tried to tell you...I was not forced...if you thought otherwise perhaps this has been a mistake. I'm not the person you think I am. You will leave me and..."

  "Never," he answered soundly. He pulled her back into his arms. "I have listened to every word you have told me. It is for that reason, Rebekah, if you aren't ready for this, I don't want you to feel you are obligated. I want more from you, Rebekah. I want your body. I want you. Forever," he murmured thickly against her ear and brushed warm kisses along her neck. She shivered with his touch, his kiss. "Do you not think I fought this? I told myself I wanted nothing more to do with women. I swore never to feel again, but I have discovered there are things in life I have no control over. I saw you again."

  Her emotions swelled in her. She stepped back. Taking his hand, she led him up the staircase.

  In the stillness of the night, the two fumbled in the darkness to close the world behind them, if only a momentarily escape. Closing the door as quietly as he could, Jonathan pulled her into his arms, neither of them caring the room had only a small fire burning to give them light.

  He grasped her by the back of the neck and brought his mouth down on hers. His kiss added oil to the fire flamed in her. Bridging the awkwardness of the necessity of their union, passion assaulted Rebekah and she welcomed it. Within its power, an emotion brewed and flowed.

  His embrace controlled her and a deep, inner pulsing overcame her. Rebekah sucked in a ragged breath as his mouth lingered on her neck in the right place that sent a shivering sensation throughout her body. She felt his hands sweep her nightgown over her thighs, caressing her breasts and sending a daze of wonderful sensations spiraling through her.

  An instant later her clothing lay on the floor. In one swift motion, he laid her on the bed. A moment of profound desire passed between them.

  “My God, you have no idea how badly I want you,” he groaned in a rough voice.

  “I think I might,” she moaned in a thinly veiled voice as he lay down next to her. His hungering mouth searched out her lips once more.

  She worked the buttons of his shirt impatiently. Looking up at him when she finished the last button, his smile reflected his want. He sat up and disposed of his pants and boots. Her eyes roamed over his body, his chest, his arms, down his waist and hips. He was lean and hard everywhere. Her gaze didn’t wane when he leaned back against her, skin on skin. He was perfect, she thought, both new and old to her, in body and spirit.

  “Is this what you want?” he rasped. His palms abraded her nipples. She whimpered, craving more.

  His shoulders heaved; his face pressed into her neck. He kissed her everywhere. He knew where to touch her, where to pulse his fingers, where to massage. He spoke her name again and again. Her breath caught in her throat as he teased her breast. His fingers circled gently on her nipples while his tongue traced a ring around the peak. He fastened his mouth on the nipple, intensifying the pleasure until she slid into abandon, making the arousal almost desperate.

  All felt so good; she didn’t want it to end. She watched him through lowered lids. From his zealous expression, she was not the only one affected by this moment. He caressed her leg and between her thighs. He moved slowly up and slipped one and then two fingers inside her. He worked light, deft magic, stroking her into a frenzy of desire. Biting her lip to hold in gasps of pleasure, she submitted to the passion.

  Suddenly, he seemed to temper his urges. His touch became gentle and tender. She didn’t want to be treated as a doll that would break. An ache—her yearning, her need—became more persistent. No, she wanted reckless abandonment. She reached down and curled her hand around his erection. She stroked the shaft softly, and then harder.

  Something fierce in his expression told her he wasn’t shocked by her boldness. Instead, he reveled in it.

  “Jonathan, love me,” she whispered. This was what she wanted. This was where he belonged. “Love me as you want me.”

  “The way I want to take you?”

  “Yes, take me,” she said in a choked voice. “I need you now.”

  “Patience, my sweet.”

  A slight smiled emerged on his lips and kissed her in response. He kissed his way down the length of her body. His palms slid over the curves of her hips. Her breath short, she sighed when he dipped his head. His lips traveled down the crease at the top of her thigh while his firm hands cupped her hips. She could barely contain her wanton need; she opened her trembling legs.

  Her body arched toward him and tilted her hips in a desperate urging. Nothing else existed except the insistent need he made her feel. He didn’t rush but incited her senses until she could take no more. Her body raged with a fire when his mouth moved to her most intimate place; his tongue teasing her, sending waves of pleasure cascading throughout her body.

  Just when it seemed he would drive her over the edge, he broke from her. He raised his head and looked deeply into her eyes as he moved silently over her. Never had she expected to be lost in this sensuous haze. She heard herself begging him to release her from this torture, offering herself to him—body and soul—if only he relieved her of this urgent need exploding in her.

  He slid over her. She felt him hard against the pulsing ache of her entrance.

  “Oh, God,” he moaned and thrust deep inside her. He withdrew to the brink of her and pressed inward again until her body joined in his rhythmic motion. He merged with her into oneness, sending her into a world with unrestrained joy, soaring into almost unbearable bliss. This was not a gentle joining. Long hard thrusts left no doubts Jonathan possessed her.

  Finding her lips, he commanded the essence of her soul as their two bodies merged. Gasping at his final thrust, penetrating spasms surged through her. At last, intense pleasure burst forth as she came with a shattering sense of being alive.

  “Rebekah!” he uttered, collapsing on her. “Oh, God, woman, I love you.”

  Somewhere in the midst of ecstasy the words edged her way into her heart. A wave of bliss encompassed her. He edged back on his arms and looked down on her, smiling. She kissed him. “For so long I haven’t known what I wanted. I know now. I want you, Jonathan. I want you always.”

  He said nothing more, but wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his shoulder. Never in her life had she ever known such happiness. For a moment, she forgot the outside world. Here in his arms, it mattered only that he loved her.

  From the window, light broke and with it morning. Jonathan had no desire to move from his spot. His wife…his love lay in his arms. My God, she looked beautiful sleeping so soundly next to him. His mind swept back to the passion they shared the night before. He had utterly and completely lost his mind. He had taken her with a ruthlessness he didn’t know he possessed.

  He told himself all had been a dream, but in the morning light it was not a dream. He held her tightly in his arms. Never could he believe that someone could provoke such feelings in him. The anger and rage he held against Catherine melted with the love he felt for this woman. His first marriage held none of this intense physical response he had to Rebekah.

  Arriving last night, he told himself to be patient. After William’s birth, Catherine became frigid and lost her desire to be intimate. Catherine wanted only to cling to him, suffocate him; her concern lay not with her newborn child, but with the fact that Jonathan left her alone. Without question, depression and sadness gripped his late wife.

  To his delight, he found Rebekah radiant in the afterglow of her daughter’s birth. His fierce and visceral response to her was dangerous and frightening, for all he wanted to do was ravish her.

  He pulled her tighter against him. He wanted her again. Nestling his lips along her neck, she shivered. His hands slid over her arms and roamed her naked body. Palming the swells of her breasts, he turned her to him.

  “Good morning,” she whispered. Smiling up at him, she encircled her arms around his neck.

  He leaned down to her lips. “Indeed it is.” He kissed her. “Do you need to see to Eliza?�
�

  She shook her head. “Not yet. I have a wet nurse and Aunt Lettie, and Sully if needed. I don’t think they will expect me so early. At least everyone except Sully…”

  Jonathan needed nothing more than to be told she was his for the morning. He lowered himself over her on his elbows. Bending down, he spoke against her mouth. “Oh, whatever will we do with this time?”

  She gave no answer, but raised her lips towards him. Warm and soft and ever so inviting. Her mouth opened beneath his, joining him in the surging passion as his kiss grew hotter, deeper. She felt good in his arms as she grasped him closer while she pressed her body to his.

  He had to feel her, touch every part of her. Caressing her sensitized skin, he felt her shiver and heard her gasp when his hand cupped her breast. He rubbed the hard tip. She let out a small whimper.

  “You like that, do you?”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling. “Very much.”

  She pressed against his shoulders, pressing him back on the mattress. She rose and straddled him. Her auburn hair fell in disheveled waves around her face and shoulders amid her gleaming, mischievous eyes. Desire heated his blood and tightened his groin. He slipped his hand down along her slim, smooth legs to the pulse of her being. His fingers stroked and caressed, building a frenzy of desire.

  He helped her mount him while she laughed and flicked her hair behind her. She drove him wild with excitement to realize her desire for him matched his for her. Taking the roundness of her breast, he latched to her nipple as she began to move. She rode him hard until he no longer had self-control.

  He flipped her over on her back. She raked her nails lightly down his back, stroking a hunger in him, answered only in finding release. He had no restraint with her. He thrust into her, rocking her hips in rhythmic motion. He drove into her again and again with long hard thrusts. Wanton and mad with need, met only with a release that burst in a stream of pleasurable relief. The final release happened to them together. Somewhere in the distance realm of consciousness, he heard her cry out at the moment of his release. God, he loved this woman!