by Betty Bolte
"Yes. Please." Amy kissed him, her tongue sliding into the depths of his mouth. Her body screamed for release from the building tension inside. Despite all that had occurred, she craved this one perfect man.
Silently Benjamin eased her down on the bedroll he'd spread out on the ground. She lay there watching, half-afraid and half-anxious, as he kicked off his boots and undid his breeches and let them drop, followed by the rest of his clothing, all into one pile on the ground. God above, what a beautiful man standing before her, his physical perfection marred not only by the thin scar on his cheek but also by a long scar running across one hip. She had only a moment to drink in the length of him before he stretched out beside her. He drew her into his arms, and his tongue plunged into her mouth for a long, wet kiss before he pushed up onto his hands and knees, straddling her. He branded the underside of her jaw with an intense kiss. Another kiss followed the first, overlapping the brand, then another and another down the side of her neck, over her pulse point. Her head became too heavy, and she let it fall back, her hair pooling beneath her. He slowly kissed his way to her aching breasts, down her quivering stomach, leaving behind a central longing deep inside. A longing only he could assuage.
She ran her hands through his hair, tracing circles as he drew farther away, down her body, down between her legs. Whatever he planned to do, she longed for him to do it and release the building tension. But when his tongue found the secret spot at the apex of her thighs, she bit on one hand to stifle the scream clawing for freedom. Breathing hard, she lifted her head and watched him as he licked her in places she never imagined. The hunger in his eyes made her squirm even more, her body seeking relief from the sensations building and raging within her. She closed her eyes as wave after wave of pleasure rocked through her.
Ben's magical tongue circled her once more before he kissed her abdomen and slowly kissed his way back up, repeating the previous wonderful torture, until he finally reclaimed her mouth. She tasted herself on his lips, and her hips surged against him, a silent, demanding invitation.
"My love, tell me you're certain." Ben's words came out a harsh rasp. "I'll stop now if you ask. But if we go further, there's no turning back."
Without any doubt, Amy wanted him, needed him, loved him. "I'm certain."
On a low moan, keeping his mouth on hers, his tongue claiming her, he slowly, gently yet firmly slid inside. An initial burst of short-lived pain sliced through her as her body adjusted to receive him. He kissed away her virginal gasp until she relaxed into the rhythm of their love. She arched to meet him, relishing the feel of him inside, moving, stoking her flame of desire.
Her insides convulsed with pleasure as he built the exquisite tension to the point that sensation consumed her. "Ben," she whispered breathlessly, "please..."
"Shhh." He kissed her again, increasing the pace of his thrust and withdrawal until only her need for him existed.
On one long moan of pure pleasure and release, the heavenly stars exploded and fell to Earth around them.
Chapter 13
A nightingale sang nearby, waking Amy. She blinked in the near dark, the dawning sun sharing its light with the forest beyond. The fire had died back to red embers, glowing dully against the deep gray of the cave. She recalled the events of the previous day, then the astonishing conclusion with Ben, who now lay beside her, one arm claiming her waist. How had she gotten back inside? She didn't recall walking in. Benjamin must have carried her after she'd fallen asleep in his arms, exhausted and spent.
He had possessed her, body and soul, forever laying claim to her. She wore her shift but nothing more. Warmth spread through her at the memory of his gentle touch, his tender kisses that fueled desire to flow again. She couldn't stay in this luxurious warmth for long, as Samantha awoke early to begin her day. She needed to find her clothes and fast.
Easing his arm from her waist, she padded outside and retrieved her garments, quickly shaking them out before slipping the chilled clothing on. The buttons proved a problem, but she fastened most of them. She crossed her arms, wishing yet again for her cloak, and marveled at the play of light and shadow under the trees as the sunshine intensified. Icarus nickered when he saw her. She walked to him, rubbing his nose in greeting.
A quiet sound alerted her to someone behind her. Man or animal? She peeked over her shoulder and relaxed.
"There you are." Benjamin deftly finished buttoning her dress, then turned her to face him. He kissed her lightly, then again more slowly. "We should leave as soon as it's light."
"We're hours from the house." Amy sighed and patted the horse's neck. "It won't take as long to arrive home with Icarus's help."
Benjamin untied Icarus and let him graze on the scant grass available on the forest floor. He regarded her for a breath. "Wake Samantha and see what's left for breakfast. We need to go."
Amy hugged herself to ward off the morning chill. "Yes, we should hurry." She turned and went back to rouse Samantha. Fortunately she was sitting up, combing her hair with long fingers when Amy hurried back inside.
"Good, you're awake." Amy searched her friend's features with a practiced eye and then motioned to her to hurry. "Gather your things while I find something for breakfast. We must leave as soon as we can."
"Good morning to you, too." Samantha gained her feet. "And I'm doing much better, thank you for asking."
"Oh, Samantha, you know I care! I assumed from your expression you're in less pain. Really, I feel it's urgent for us to get moving."
"Your feelings seem to rule your every move, my friend." Samantha wound her ebony hair up into a loose bun. "You should consider what your head tells you as well. Learn to balance the two into one harmonious response."
"Do you not ever trust your instincts?" Amy stared at her friend, wondering about the changes in her over the last year. Samantha's reluctance to share details of her life and her activities, always couching her thoughts in phrases that left Amy feeling as though she missed some subtle meaning below the surface.
"Of course, but only in concert with my experience." Samantha shook out her cloak, bits of leaves and dirt and pebbles showering the ground around her. "I'm famished. Do we have anything for breakfast?"
Before Amy had a chance to respond, pounding footsteps sounded outside the cave. She turned to see Benjamin running up the hill to the cave's mouth.
"Ladies, never mind breaking the fast," Benjamin called, running in. "You need to ride. Now."
"What's the matter?" Amy stared at him, fear coalescing in her throat.
"Men approaching. You need to ride for home, before they catch up to us."
Chills shook Amy, but she straightened her back. They would not touch her again. She and Samantha exchanged a look and then headed for the cave opening.
"Icarus is powerful enough to carry you both." Benjamin hurried Samantha after Amy down the path to where the horse stood tied, nervously alert. Amy tightened the girth with a practiced tug, swung into the saddle, and Benjamin helped Samantha mount behind her. "I'll delay them, then meet you back at the manor house."
"Be safe." Amy touched Benjamin's face. Albeit strong and cunning, he was about to face a significant threat from the vengeful men. Would she see him again? She prayed for his safety.
"I've dealt with their type before, sweetheart. I'll see you at the manor." He squeezed Amy's hand, then melted into the forest.
Sounds from down the trail made Amy glance over her shoulder to catch Samantha's eye. "Hold on to me."
Samantha wrapped her arms around Amy's waist as she urged the horse into a trot. They rode in silence, afraid their voices, let alone the sound of the horse's hooves, would alert the men to their whereabouts. Amy spurred Icarus into a canter, but the narrow, winding trail made it treacherous for the animal. She glanced over her shoulder but saw no one. Perhaps they would make an escape after all.
Samantha clung to Amy's waist as she bounced with each stride.
"Are you okay?" Amy slowed to a trot, desperate to pu
t distance between them and the men but afraid for Samantha. She steered Icarus down a slight hill toward the turn along the creek that would lead them back to the manor.
"Don't worry about me. Worry about those men catching us," Samantha said. "I'll be—Oh, I see them. Hurry, Amy!"
An outraged cry sounded behind them, but Amy didn't chance looking back again. Ben roved out there somewhere, but surely there were too many men for him to take on alone. Their only hope remained in reaching the house and have Walter and Paul help even the odds. But first they had to sound the alarm. When the trail leveled off, she urged Icarus into a trot. Samantha grunted, then grew silent, apparently stifling her discomfort.
"How many are there?" Amy shouted.
Samantha twisted behind the saddle, nearly pulling Amy with her. Amy slowed Icarus to a walk so she could right her balance, then picked up a slow trot.
"I think I see six, but it's hard to tell. One of them is Peter, though, and he looks angry."
Blast. Peter wanted the pendant bouncing between her breasts with each stride as much as or more than he wanted to finish what he'd started with her. "Do you see Ben?"
"He can take care of himself." Samantha grunted, pain filling her voice. "Just get us back to the manor."
"I'm doing the best I can." Amy clenched her teeth against the fear threatening to unnerve her. She must have faith in Ben.
They passed the bloody spot where Samantha had been injured. Amy slowed Icarus as they approached the treacherously slick hill. The gray stallion scrambled and lurched up the bank. Amy held on to his mane, and Samantha's grip around Amy's waist tightened painfully as his hooves slipped repeatedly before finding purchase and leaping the remaining ten feet to the trail. A flash of pride rippled through Amy at the fine breeding her father had accomplished. She nudged him into a trot.
"Hey, now I only see five," Samantha said. "I wonder what happened to the other one."
Had Ben taken out one, or had Samantha miscounted? No time to tell. Finally on the main trail again, Amy urged Icarus into a canter. "Tell me we're leaving the men behind."
"Yes, but they know which direction we've taken. It's only a matter of time before they find us."
Amy's resolve strengthened as they drew closer to home. "I'm counting on Walter." Who would ever have thought she'd actually find a reason to need such a violent, aggressive man on her side? Yet he was a necessary evil to employ against the men wishing them harm.
"And old Paul. Perfect," Samantha moaned. "Let the men handle this."
Finally the manor appeared through the trees, the trail winding slowly toward it. Amy guided Icarus into the yard after what seemed an eternity of zigzagging through the trees along the narrow trail. She helped Samantha dismount by sidling the jigging stallion up to the tree stump used for chopping wood. Then she swung from the saddle and looped the reins around the hitching post.
Samantha pushed Amy toward the house. "Go, sound the alarm!"
"Will you be all right?" Amy took a hesitant step in the direction of the kitchen door.
"Right behind you." Samantha shooed Amy away with both hands. "Go! I'll be along."
Racing inside, Amy collided with Emily in the kitchen, sending the basket of pecans she carried flying and scattering nuts across the floor.
"You're back." Emily reached out to hug her. "Where have you been?"
"No time. Where's Walter?" Amy stopped Emily's attempt to embrace her. "We're being chased by renegade loyalists. I killed one yesterday, but now Benjamin needs Walter's help."
"Gracious me! Walter—he's in the study, working. What can I do?"
Amy ran down the hall and burst into the study without bothering to answer her cousin's question. Walter looked up from where he pored over large books on his desk, a scowl on his face.
"How dare you barge into my private study," he barked.
"Renegades are after us. Please help us!" She trembled at the thought of Peter's threats but refused to let her fear unnerve her further. She'd taken care of Jethro, so she could defend herself from Peter should the occasion arise.
"Here?" Walter moved from behind the desk surprisingly fast for such a massive man. He pushed past her and thundered into the entry hall. "They'll not harm my property again. Get upstairs."
Emily stood in the hall, waiting for Amy to join her. Samantha limped slowly into the hall from the kitchen as Walter ran to the windows and locked them. He spun around, ready to race off to secure the rest of the property, and saw the women staring at him. "You, run and lock the kitchen windows."
Emily and Amy hurried around the main floor fixing the iron rods in place that prevented each window from being opened from the outside. Amy had never seen such a locking mechanism used in a home before, but did not take time to analyze it further. They must hurry to protect the house from the desperate men fast approaching.
Emily turned worried eyes to Amy. "I've been sick with worry. What happened to you?"
"Nothing compared to Samantha." She looked at her friend, who sat on a bench in the hallway, her face strained and pinched.
"Oh my goodness." Emily hurried to Samantha's side. "What happened? What do you need?"
"Too much to explain. For now I don't need anything. But Benjamin has been busy. I counted only three men approaching the house now."
"Where is he?" Emily asked.
"Out there." Amy waved a hand in the general direction of the forest. Ben's skills were indeed impressive, but he remained in danger. "Evening the odds."
Walter emerged from his study, a musket in hand and a pistol tucked in his belt. "You girls go upstairs where you'll be safe. I'll handle this."
"Keep an eye out for Benjamin," Amy said, snaring Walter's attention. "He's already reduced the gang by three."
"I should hurry then, so he doesn't have all the fun." He checked his gun, then looked at her. "I told you all to go."
Amy crossed her arms. "We can help more down here. Upstairs we're sitting ducks if they come through a door or break a window."
Walter glared back for two beats, then shrugged. "I don't have time to argue with you." He opened the door, stepping out into the bright morning sunshine and easing the door closed behind him.
Samantha started to replace the bar, but Amy stepped in front of her. "If we bar the door, our men can't get in and we can't get out."
"Neither can the renegades," Samantha said. "We should throw the bar."
The sound of guns being fired erupted outside, each blast jarring Amy. It didn't feel right to barricade themselves inside even though it was the sane thing to do. She had to rely on her instincts. "Leave it unbarred. Trust me."
Samantha looked at her sharply. "Going with your gut again, aren't you?"
Amy nodded. "I think we should leave, get away from the house, from the fighting. Take Evelyn and the baby to safety in town."
"Leave? Go out there?" Emily clasped one hand at her throat. "Aren't we safer inside?"
As if in answer, a bullet shattered one of the pretty bay windows at the front of the house, sending shards of glass flying across the room and scattering across the wood floor. Amy threw her arms up to shield her face. A second bullet blasted through another pane, pebbling the floor with glass. Emily screamed, her hands covering her mouth. The bits of glass made tiny prisms from the sunlight streaming in. Amy flinched at the terrified sound of her cousin's scream and the impact of the broken window. Obviously they were not safe inside the house any longer.
"Maybe not," Samantha said. "All right, Amy, we need a plan. What do you think?"
At that moment Paul dashed into the hallway and took in the situation. He turned to the women watching him. "You alright, Miss?"
"Yes, but we can't stay here."
Gunshots came from the east side of the house away from the stable. An idea bloomed in Amy's head, a daring escape plan. Details and possibilities flashed through her mind, sifting and sorting until settling into the proper order.
"We need for the women and baby t
o be ready to leave when the time is right." Amy glanced at each woman in turn, then let her gaze settle on the slave. "Paul will drive the ladies back to town and deliver them safely to my parents. You'll be in some danger at first, but once you're away from the house you'll all be safe."
Paul's eyebrows struggled to reach the edge of his hair on his forehead. "Me, Miss? Go out there?"
Amy approached him cautiously. She laid a trembling hand on his forearm and captured his gaze. "You have the power to help save all of these women and the baby, Paul. I'm counting on you."
Emily gasped. "What of you, Amy?"
"They want me more than any of you." Amy considered each of the women staring at her with horror. "And I won't leave Ben behind to fight alone."
Samantha searched Amy's eyes and then stepped back. "You're mind's made up, then?"
Amy nodded.
Emily grabbed hold of Amy's upper arms and peered into her eyes. "I've had a feeling all day something terrible lurked. Have you?"
Amy nodded again. "You may need to leave in a hurry." A tremor rocked her body. "Paul, please ready the carriage."
Shots rang out, men yelled in the distance. Samantha gasped from where she stood by the kitchen door. "Now? Are you insane?"
"Yes, now, while the fighting is on the other side of the house."
Paul straightened his shoulders and gazed at her with eyes filled with determination. "I'll do it, Miss. You can count on me."
Amy couldn't believe she must rely on the old slave to save them all. She'd known Paul for many years and suddenly realized how little she actually knew about him. His wiry arms and muscular hands complemented his equally muscular body. He could handle this, better than she could. A frisson of awareness and urgency raced along her spine. "All right. Time to go. I'll go with you to help keep the horses calm."
"No, Miss." Paul shook his head. "I's can handle this. You stay inside where it's safe and help the others."
Amy glanced at the broken glass sending prisms of light dancing around the walls. "Nowhere is safe right now."