by Bella Grace
Heat rose to Olivia’s cheeks. “I’m not accustomed to wandering about so freely with men. I’m afraid it’s a bit difficult to leave behind all the standards of my upbringing.”
Jack squeezed her hand. “Your innocence is nearly as intoxicating as your beauty and your intellect, sweet Olivia.”
“Sir, your flattery is doing little to ease my East Coast nerves.” Her heart clung to every syllable uttered from his mouth, begging her mind to surrender to any seductions he might attempt.
Aaron carried a basket from the back of the wagon as he walked over to take her other hand. “What can we do to put you at ease, Olivia? In this very moment, your comfort is our only concern.”
Olivia smiled at him. “I’m quite comfortable with the two of you, strangely so considering how little time we’ve spent together. I’m just not yet completely accustomed to the loosened social acceptances in Port Steele. But please know how thrilled I am to be given this private tour of your beautiful landscape. And I find your company charming and immensely pleasurable.”
“Shall we?” Jack swept his arm toward the hill. “Over the crest, you’re in for a bit of a surprise.”
Olivia curled each of her hands around their proffered arms and walked between them up the gently sloping hill.
At the top she gasped. A surprise indeed! The hill angled downward toward a picturesque ravine. A crystal clear stream followed a crooked path between the vines and brush. A large, smooth gray boulder sat like a table in the middle of the gently flowing water. The top of the rock was completely flat and large enough for all three of them to lounge on comfortably.
“Before we go down there, turn around,” Aaron said.
Olivia turned around, and her jaw dropped in awe. From the top of the hill the view of the ocean was endless. Gray water, white capped waves and blue skies filled her vision. After her ship passage from the East Coast, she thought she had lost her love of the sea, but every bit of that love was reborn in this single moment. As high above the world as she felt on the top of this beautiful hill, the vastness of the sea reminded her how infinite the universe truly was.
The only thing that could possibly make this moment more perfect would be to feel strong arms around her body, smooth, heated skin against her own and to finally unleash the passions she struggled to hold in check. Olivia sighed. Oh, to be that free.
Jack and Aaron helped her down the steep decline toward the hidden ravine. At the edge of the stream both men took off their boots and rolled up their trouser legs. Olivia hesitated. Undressing even her feet in the presence of such appealing masculinity seemed utterly shameful. She searched her conscience and couldn’t find an ounce of shame to cling too. Without another thought she began untying the laces of her boots. Moments later her boots and stockings lay on the grass next to Jack and Aaron’s and her bare toes edged toward the clear stream water.
The icy water sent chills up her legs and she held her gathered skirts in fisted hands. She was steeling herself to take another step when Aaron swooped her into his arms and carried her over to the boulder.
Aaron’s arms around her and the sun-warmed stone beneath her thighs chased away any chill that remained. Jack and Aaron climbed onto the rock next to her. Jack opened the basket he had taken from Aaron and began arranging an assortment of foods, a cask of water and a dark green bottle with a cork in the neck.
He held up the bottle. “A gift from one of my French vendors. And before you search your pockets for a thimble, remember you are in Washington Territory, not Boston. We shall drink it as the French intended.”
Olivia’s heart raced. She would be drunk for sure, and heaven help her if she let her inhibitions loose in the presence of these two men. “Surely, you wouldn’t take advantage of a woman with alcohol.” She licked the sudden dryness from her lips.
“I assure you, your virtue will remain intact. Your lips, however, may well become loosed.”
His broad smile set her at ease. Aaron leaned in close. “You’re welcome to drink only the water if that is what you choose. But I think you’ll find the wine quite enjoyable.”
Olivia nodded decisively. “The wine, please. I have always found the French to be gentile in a roguish manner that appeals to me more than I should admit.”
Jack poured a half goblet for each of them while she began to unwrap and arrange the meats, cheeses and bread they’d brought. He handed her a glass. “Eat something first, my love, or the wine will go straight to your head.”
She took a tentative sip in spite of his warning. The liquid coated her tongue with a dry flavor she wasn’t certain she liked, but the instant warmth that eased into her limbs was delicious. “I’m quite certain that first taste went straight to my nerves. Now I will eat as you suggested to keep the rest from going to my head.”
Jack leaned close, his face only inches from hers. “If you don’t mind, I’d like my first taste of this bottle to be from your lips.”
Her eyes widened at his boldness, but her eyelids fluttered shut instantly when his soft mouth pressed gently against hers. She knew in that moment, the wine could not make her any drunker than Jack could himself.
He drew back slowly and smiled down at her. “Even sweeter than I dared hope. You are an amazing woman, Olivia Prescott. Perhaps you would like to let Aaron taste the wine on your lips as well.”
Her heart pounded. Surely this was terribly inappropriate. Had they brought her here to this hidden ravine to get her drunk on wine and share her between them? Her blood raced in her veins, and she pinched herself to wake from this dream. The pinch stung her skin, but she did not wake in her bed to find she had once again succumbed to the fantasy that crept up on her night after night. She regularly dreamed of two men satisfying her every desire. And since she’d moved to Port Steele and first laid eyes on Aaron and Jack, those men in her dreams had faces.
She drew the goblet to her lips again, letting the liquid fill her mouth and the warmth ease into her limbs once more. Then she turned to Aaron. “A taste for you, Mr. Lambert?”
His chest rose and fell, and his eyes searched hers as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her mouth. Olivia’s entire body went weak. If Jack and Aaron did not live up to their word, her virtue would definitely not remain intact for long.
She fought to control her breath as Aaron eased down onto the rock next to her and reached for his goblet. He didn’t utter a word, but what she read in his darkened eyes quickened her pulse.
“I fear the kisses have gone to my head more than the wine.” She reached for a small loaf of bread and tore the end off, but she couldn’t bring herself to take a bite.
Jack took her hand in his. “Tell us about yourself, Olivia. What brought you here to our shores?”
She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. She could not ruin this perfect day with a recount of her parents’ murders, Lizzie’s forced marriage, their ultimate escape from Boston, and the uncle who would do whatever it took to drag them back to live under his terms. Besides she would be surprised if they didn’t know more about her family business than she cared for them to already, given her uncle’s unsavory alliance with Winston Farrier which had almost cost Lizzie her marriage and her reputation. Luckily, Logan’s love for Lizzie and his quick thinking had unraveled her uncle’s scheme and turned their association with Winston into a lucrative business deal for the Gallaghers. No she didn’t care to sully this beautiful day with any of that.
“I would be a terrible companion if I bored you both to tears after you brought me all the way out here and shared such a nice bottle of wine with me.” She reached for the goblet again, but Jack’s fingers curled around her wrist before she could raise the glass to her lips.
“Eat something, dear. It is not our intention to get you drunk. We actually have a proposition for you that will require sober consideration.”
Chapter 4
Olivia’s Journal, January 2, 1865
Port Steele, Washington Territory
Oh,
to still be drunk without a drop of wine in my veins. Surely if I abandoned my dear Jane Austen for the day and read only the great poets, I would understand every word they penned about love more clearly than ever before. I have floated through this entire day with my mind still back on that rock in the ravine.
Though only my lips were compromised with a kiss from each of the men, my body is no longer mine. I’ve wandered from one task to the next, and I don’t recall my feet once touching the ground. I find this new emotional state equal parts liberating and confusing. Perhaps if my love was directed at only one man, I might find it easier to focus my attention. My mind drifts from Jack to Aaron and back again. There’s barely room for any other thoughts, but I must gather my wits about me.
My dearests, Mr. Lambert and Mr. Bartlett, have gifted me with the most amazing opportunity, and I mustn’t let them down.
* * * *
“I’m sure you’ll find it to be ample in size,” Jack said as he led Olivia through the rows of neatly displayed items inside the mercantile.
Olivia clasped her hands in anticipation and to hide the nerves that had taken hold the moment Jack and Aaron had arrived at the Gallaghers’ home and asked her to accompany them into town.
Just outside the store, Aaron had been parlayed by a lumberman who mumbled Miles Petty’s name in a tone that left little to be explained. Jack’s reassuring hand at the base of her spine had guided her away from the ruckus. And while she didn’t care to become caught up in any business that revolved around Miles Petty, she longed for Aaron’s presence. Given her contractual obligation to one of the men in the Gallaghers’ employ, she hated to lose a moment of the limited time she had with Jack or Aaron. She would have gladly waited there on the street, but Jack’s steady hand on her back continued to guide her through the store and feed the flames that ravaged her from within.
“I would prefer to wait for Aaron, but I’m afraid the business matter he’s dealing with may take awhile to resolve.” Jack pushed open the door of the room at the back of the mercantile and held his arm out for Olivia to enter.
Inside the room, Olivia took one look and gasped. He hadn’t exaggerated about the dimensions. Her muscles tensed in eager anticipation and her heart pounded.
“It’s perfect!” She hurried to the far wall, easily envisioning bookshelves lining the perimeter, a desk beneath each of the small windows, and a table centered on the gleaming hardwood floor. And books! So many books all neatly arranged, the smell of the paper, the brush of the pages as they turned, the rough edges of the covers in her hands. She could imagine it all so thoroughly, her heart pounded even harder with excitement. “Mr. Bartlett, I could kiss you!”
She covered her mouth with her fingertips and blushed fire straight to the tips of her ears.
Jack Bartlett threw his head back and laughed. “That’s an arrangement I wouldn’t mind making, my dear.”
Olivia cleared her throat. “I don’t know how to thank you. Donating a space like this in the store for a true public library is very generous.”
“This town has needed a library for a long time. We just never had anyone to oversee it.” Jack crossed the room and took her hands in his. “Make a list of items you’ll need to get it set up and where you’d like the shelves exactly as you imagine it in your charming mind. I’ll put my carpenter on it first thing. As for that kiss, I am happy to collect on such a tempting offer.”
“You are a generous man, Mr. Bartlett, with the most wicked tongue I’ve ever encountered.”
“You haven’t encountered it yet, my dear.”
Olivia’s mouth popped open.
Jack dragged her against his large body, his palm flattened low on her back, and his mouth came down on hers. His kiss was slow and controlled, soft and strong, everything she expected after their first encounter, and yet shocking all the way to her toes. She relaxed in his arms as his lips coaxed hers, moving more urgently until her mouth opened. She jumped when his tongue entered to caress hers in a glide of smooth friction that left her hungry for more. The taste of him was like liquor in her blood, heating her, relaxing her, making her giddy with abandon. She kissed him fervently, matching every stroke, every caress.
His hand came around the front of her dress and moved slowly along the side of her breast. She moaned softly. The sensations coursing through her body were more intense than anything she had ever imagined in her vivid fantasies.
“You are soft as a kitten and passionate as a minx, aren’t you, my dear Olivia? Tell me you don’t desire every pleasure I can give you.”
“I…” She couldn’t lie, not even to spare herself the embarrassment, not to him, not when he held her this way. “I do want it. Oh, you have no idea how…” She turned away. How could she allow herself to be seduced so easily? Less than a year in this town of debauchery, and she had nary a moral left to cling to! “Thank you so much for entrusting me with the library. I won’t disappoint you. Now I really should be getting back to my sisters.”
Jack wound his finger around one of the curls that brushed her shoulder. “Your hair is lovely this way, but I want you to promise me you will wear it again the way you wore it when I met you.”
“Whatever for? I looked like a schoolteacher.”
He bent to nibble her neck. “Yes, and I want to be your student. Your very naughty student.”
Olivia shivered as his teeth and tongue sent chills of delight racing along her spine and surging through her body. “You are naughty indeed, Mr. Bartlett.”
“And I will relish whatever punishment you deem appropriate, Miss Prescott.” He punctuated his words with a sharp nip and quickly soothed the bite with his warm tongue.
“Mr. Bartlett…” Olivia drew in heavy, rapid breaths. She swallowed twice before she could form the words on her tongue. “I believe you should take me home now before I completely lose my virtue and shame myself further.”
“There is no shame between us, my love. I am not a man who steals the flowers of innocent women on a whim of uncontrolled libido. I do not care to seduce you for the sake of seduction. I’ve yet to meet a woman who intrigues my mind and awakens my body the way you do. I’ve searched all of New York City for you, my dear. And all the while, you were here.”
Olivia flattened her hands against his chest. “You flatter me senseless. But I’ve come here on agreement. I am contractually and morally indebted to the men who paid my passage, even more so, being they are my brothers now.”
“Contracts can be renegotiated. I am an honorable man. The Gallaghers are friends of mine, and I would never act as Miles Petty has acted, courting a woman contracted for someone other than myself.”
“Forgive me, Mr. Bartlett, but I fail to see the difference.”
He straightened to his full height, and placed a broad hand on each of her shoulders. “Would you be with such a man?”
“Not now that my head has cleared from the fog of your seductions. I despise Miles Petty. The man slithers into any room he enters.”
“And you think I am a snake as well?”
“No. I think you are a man accustomed to getting what you want. And I’m sure you’ve probably devised a plan to deflower me in the most honorable way possible.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I am not the only one with a wicked tongue, Miss Prescott. But you’ve read me well. Aaron and I have made arrangements with the Gallaghers to court you. If you choose to marry one of us, your husband shall reimburse your passage.”
Her heart pounded against her chest as if it were demanding escape. Only two men in Port Steele had drawn her attention, both had been unattainable in her mind, and now they had made arrangements to court her.
“If this is how you behave the first time we’re alone, I can’t imagine my virtue remaining intact until a wedding.”
“Neither Aaron nor I would marry a woman who did not excite us both in and out of the bedroom. We do not care to spend our evenings with a chilled bed any more than we wish to marry a woman with the skills
of a harlot but the conversational abilities of a chipmunk.”
“And if you find me less intriguing in the bedroom than you imagine me to be?”
He lowered her hands back to her waist and pulled her against him. “If that is your fear, I suggest you do your best to keep me intrigued.”
Heat rose in her cheeks and her breasts, pressed against the hardness of his chest, ached with pleasure.
“If you desire me so, why invite Mr. Lambert to court me as well?”
He bent his face close to hers with a broad smile. “Soon you will see the humor in that question. Now, it’s time to intrigue me. Tell me your most daring desires. The ones that would bury you in shame if you shared them with another soul.” His breath was warm on her ear. He kissed the skin high on her neck and caught her earlobe between his teeth with a gentle tug that made her weep between the thighs. “Tell me, sweetheart. You’re safe with me. I can make your every dream come true. I want to pleasure you in ways you’ve never imagined.”
Her breath came quickly. She almost blurted out the truth, but she stopped herself. She couldn’t lie, but could she really tell him how inappropriate her fantasies had become?
His hand moved between them, covering the whole of her breast. Her knees went weak. “Sweet Olivia, I can give you everything you desire. If one of me isn’t enough, I can fulfill that fantasy, too.”
She stilled, losing her breath altogether before it came back in pants. Did she dare tell him that’s exactly what she wanted? Would he think her perverted and storm out to tell the town what a deviant she was?
“I saw the way your eyes lit up when I told you Aaron was smitten with you. What if he was kissing you now? What if we were both here with you, holding you between us, skin to skin? What if two men could pleasure you in ways one never could?
“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, please!”
“That’s my girl. Oh, I knew you were my girl.” His mouth found hers again. The draw of his tongue pulled a cord that reached deep in her belly and left her trembling with desire for more. He turned her around and backed her toward the door where he scooped her into his arms and carried her through the store.