I hate it and myself right now.
Colt told Abraham that I was his whore so he dressed me accordingly and this woman knows it, which means basically everyone who has seen me today thinks that not only am I Colt’s whore, but that I made a living as a whore before he brought me to his side.
Fucking wonderful.
“It’s not your business, Bessie,” Colt snaps, though he doesn’t correct her.
Apparently, he’s not all that concerned with the fact that she just accused me of being a prostitute and he has no desire to educate her otherwise. Maybe it’s just easier that she thinks that of me, I don’t see how it could be, but I’m also not from this world.
“I suppose it’s not, Mr. James,” she sneers. “I’ll see you soon, I hope. Your standing weekly date is tomorrow. You’ve paid in advance, remember?”
Without another word, she turns around and I watch her walk out of the dress shop without buying anything or even talking to Abraham. She came in here to talk to us, to make herself known to me, and to be a bitch.
Colt doesn’t explain who she is, doesn’t say a word. Instead, he tells Abraham to get working on the dresses and that he expects them soon. Then, wordlessly, we walk out of the shop. I expect him to go back to his horse and get the fuck out of this town, but he doesn’t. Instead, he guides us toward another building.
I’m surprised when the scent of food reaches my nose before we even walk inside of the next building we approach. I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect to be fed on this little excursion. Colt opens the door for me and waits as I pass over the threshold.
He follows behind, then makes his way up to a small makeshift podium. There is a man standing there dressed much like Ernest, the silent man who seems to always be beside Colt at the house.
Colt murmurs something to him, but the man looks past Colt to me, then narrows his gaze before he murmurs something back and shakes his head once. Colt then says something else and he dips his chin then counters back.
“Come, we’re going to dine privately this afternoon.”
I already know why we’re dining privately. Because they don’t let whores in the main dining room. It’s painfully obvious and the fact that Colt thinks I’m too stupid to figure all of this out hurts more than anything.
Once we’re ushered quickly through the main dining area and to a private back room, we silently take our seats and I inhale a deep breath, closing my eyes and hoping that I can make it through this entire meal without breaking down into a crying jag.
Someone appears to take our order, but apparently, I’m not allowed to order for myself, because Colt doesn’t even give me an opportunity to find out what this place serves before he just orders something for the both of us.
I want to scream out of pure frustration, but I don’t. Instead, I sit silently, knowing that it doesn’t matter what I say, he thinks of me as absolutely nothing.
Chapter Eighteen
COLT
Dinner is full of awkward silence, but I’m not ready to have any kind of discussion with her in public. Especially not with the way everyone in this town has viewed her. I’m not sure what she is thinking right now, but I know what everyone else is thinking and that’s bad enough.
When our food is consumed, I leave some coins on the table, then quickly usher her out of the restaurant. We need to go back to the house. I have to finish my proposed revisions on the railroad system and have Ernest send them off immediately.
It doesn’t matter that there could be another war dropped at my front doorstep, I need to continue on with my job as if I’m not waiting for all hell to break loose, and even though I am waiting for that, I need to prepare, but never stop moving on what needs to be done.
We make our way toward Lonesable, who gives me side-eye as soon as we approach. He’s angry with me because I’m not letting him get to know Birdie as I’d promised. He needs to approve of her just as much as I do, since he is by my side always, but I just can’t go there with him yet.
You have upset her. I can sense her discontentment.
I grunt, not wishing to respond to him. I’m sure that she’s upset, though I don’t know why. I can’t be bothered with her frivolous woman ideas and emotions right now. I have to figure out how to get this railroad contract taken care of, find out more about the prophecy, get food to my soldiers, and run an entire dratted country.
It doesn’t matter how she feels.
Picking up Birdie, I set her on his saddle. Lonesable doesn’t respond to my thoughts right away. Instead, he waits until I’ve mounted and am sitting behind her. Wrapping my arm around Birdie’s waist, I allow her to ready her parasol to shade us both.
Are you ready?
I won’t be rushing this trip back. You will speak to her, Colt.
I let out a silent grunt, hating that he is probably correct. I do need to talk to her, as much as I don’t want to. She must be confused by Bessie Silks, by everything that’s happened today. She probably has never been to a town like the one we have just visited. I don’t know what towns look like in her world, but I am sure they are quite different.
Clearing my throat, I guide Lonesable away from town and toward home, though true to his word, he makes the trip slowly—very slowly.
“Did you enjoy town?” I ask.
There is a moment of silence and I almost ask if she can hear me, when she finally speaks.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were speaking to me again,” she snaps, haughtily.
I take a moment, careful not to respond in haste. I haven’t been the kindest to her this day and she no doubt has some thoughts about the conversations that have taken place around her and the reason we had to dine alone, privately and away from the rest of the patrons.
“I am and I never stopped,” I murmur.
There is a moment of silence, she is obviously not going to ask any questions so I lean forward and place my chin against her shoulder, tightening my arm around her waist.
“This world must be much different than yours. I have no doubt that you are assuredly confused by some things that happened today.”
She doesn’t speak right away, but when she finally does, I can’t help but hear the pain that radiates through her words and in her voice.
“I’m not the least bit confused, Colt,” she practically whispers. “The entire township believes that I’m a prostitute, even the actual prostitutes think that. You told the dressmaker that I was your mistress, essentially your live-in whore and he dressed me accordingly. The restaurant wouldn’t seat me in the main dining room because of my presumed prostitute status. Did I miss something?”
There is one thing that Birdie is not and that is stupid. Clearing my throat, I try to think of something to say that will assuage this situation. There is nothing.
You messed up. How will you fix it?
Shut. Up.
“Birdie,” I say.
She shakes her head. “No, Colt. It’s fine. It’s what I am. I let you between my legs after knowing you about five minutes. If that’s not something a whore does, then I don’t know what is. I also did it knowing that I’m in some freaky ass other dimension. I should be rocking in a corner completely traumatized, but what do I do?” she asks, but doesn’t allow me to answer because she’s too quick to continue on her rambling. “I get horny. Who does that? Who acts the way that I do? A whore, that’s who.”
I don’t even have to ask Lonesable to stop. He just automatically does. Dismounting from him, I lift my arms up, wrapping my hands around Birdie’s waist and tug her off of the back of the horse. She doesn’t speak as I set her down on the hard red dirt.
We’re under a grouping of trees, something that there are only a few of between my house and town. Birdie doesn’t move, but she also doesn’t speak either. Lonesable stays close, probably to keep his eye on me since he has already chosen Birdie over me at this point, and I don’t really blame him.
I made her feel terrible and though it was not intentional, I didn
’t do anything to stop it or fix it either.
“Perhaps, I could have done some things differently today. But you are no soiled dove, Birdie.”
She tilts her head back, her eyes narrowing on me. “I know that, you asshole.”
I can’t help it, I try not to, but my lips tip up into a grin. “Birdie,” I say, trying to keep from laughing, but my body shakes anyway as I attempt to control myself.
“You made me feel like I was, and you basically told everyone that I was. I don’t know your customs here, but I know what cleavage means,” she says as she lifts her hand and waves it across her chest.
Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to hers. “I realize my mistakes now. Allow me to fix them, or at least try?”
BIRDIE
My breath hitches when his lips touch mine. It shouldn’t. My heart also shouldn’t start beating rapidly, but it does. I hate it. I should also hate him, but I don’t and then I hate that even more. Colt’s tongue slips between my lips and I can’t help but let out a moan.
His hands wrap around my waist and he backs me up until I’m pushed up against the trunk of a tree. A bright red tree trunk. Colt nibbles on my bottom lip, his front pressing against mine, his head tipped and his breath fanning my face.
“Why are your leaves bright gold? It’s disturbing,” I whisper. “Is it fall or something?”
He hums, but doesn’t answer me right away. When he does, his voice is deep and husky. “Fall?”
“Autumn,” I expand.
He shakes his head. “What color are the leaves of your Llobil trees, darlin’?”
Tilting my head to the side, I frown. “What is a Llobil tree?” I ask.
Colt lifts his hand, waving it around at the tree behind me. “We don’t have any trees by that name that I know of,” I murmur.
“What do your trees look like?”
“Generally, brown trunks with green leaves, in the fall they turn red and soft gold, and in the winter, they fall off.”
He hums, shifting his face closer to mine, his lips warm and firm against my own. He doesn’t stop this time. His tongue slides inside of me and he takes. He takes and takes and I allow it, once again being his whore and not even trying to stop.
There is no stopping when it comes to Colt. He owns me, he consumes me, he confuses me. His fingers reach for my skirt, hiking it up, his hands slipping beneath it to untie the bloomers. They fall down to the ground and without skipping a beat, he reaches behind my knees and lifts me up.
My legs automatically wrap around his waist and with one quick shift of his hips, he buries himself deep inside of me. I don’t know when he unbuckled his pants and released himself, but I don’t care, because he’s exactly where I want him—where I need him.
His hips move against me, in and out, his breathing is heavy and mine is panting. He’s close to me, but he’s not kissing me anymore. He’s pulled away slightly and his eyes are focused on mine as he takes me.
My blood is boiling beneath the surface already, I need more, so much more. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I dig my nails into his back. His hat fell off sometime when he started kissing me, so I slide one of my hands up to his neck, twisting my fingers in his hair and tugging it slightly.
“You think I would let some nobody girl from a bordello sleep in my house? You think I would dress her in the finest clothes money could buy. That I would sleep next to her in bed? That I would share meals with her, share my life with her?” he asks on a growl.
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as I watch him. His strokes are even, but hard, my back scrapes against the tree trunk and I have no doubt that the soft and delicate fabric of this yellow dress will be completely torn to shreds.
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “Wrong answer, darlin’,” he grunts as he continues to thrust hard and fast. “I would not do what I do with you, with any common soiled dove.”
I want to tell him that he is only being kind to me because of the prophecy, but I can’t get any words out. Every slam inside of me takes my breath away. Harder and harder, faster and faster. He doesn’t stop, doesn’t slow, and my body just climbs.
“It is not because I have to, either. It is not because you come from another world. If that were the case, I would just lock you away until I knew what to do with you.”
“Then why?” I breathe.
The sun beats down hard around us, but a cool breeze whips around our bodies. I let out a sigh as the air cools my skin off, but my blood is still hot beneath the surface. My eyes are focused on his as I wait for his answer.
“Because you’re mine,” he growls.
I open my mouth to respond, though I’m not sure what to say. It doesn’t matter, because his mouth slams down against my own and his tongue fills me. He fucks me in tandem again and again, it feels amazing. It’s so good, the way his pelvis grinds against my clit with each stroke, the way he makes my body ache with his force, that I’m seconds from coming completely undone.
Ripping my mouth from his, my head hits the tree trunk and I let out a cry as I come—hard. He grunts as he continues to move inside of me and then his eyes find mine right before he buries his face against my neck and roars against my skin as his body fills me with his release.
“Darlin’,” he rasps. Once we’ve both caught our breaths, he lifts his head and his eyes meet mine. “Because you’re mine.”
Chapter Nineteen
BIRDIE
The ride back to Colt’s property is fairly quiet. I ask him about his life, but he continuously turns the subject back to me and mine. He doesn’t want to talk about his marriage and I understand that, but he also won’t talk about his parents or his childhood. It’s really hard trying to get to know someone who won’t talk to you—at all.
“What is happening with the soldiers and the food you need?” I ask.
He hums and I think that he’s going to refuse to answer me, yet again, but this time he surprises me and speaks.
“I was made the ultimate ruler of this country after a civil war ended. We were suffering, as a people and as a country. The Assembly took over, they got together and unanimously chose me to lead because of my efforts in the war.”
“And this upset some people?” I ask.
He turns his head, which is leaning against my shoulder again and touches his lips to the side of my neck. “Naturally, darlin’. A small group were not happy, but most have been okay. I’m of the mindset that most people should be able to live and let live. I did not enact a lot of rules and actually took many laws and rules away that I thought frivolous.”
“That small group is now growing in numbers?”
He clears his throat. “You know more about warfare than I’m comfortable with, Birdie.”
I laugh softly. “I don’t really. Just what I’ve learned from school and what I have seen on the news. I don’t pay attention much, but I know some basics.”
“School? For women? I still cannot believe it.”
Rolling my eyes, I wish that I could look at him right now. I bet he has that smug look on his face and that smirk planted on his beautiful and soft lips.
“Yes. School. You know that I’ve taken college courses, smart-ass.”
He chuckles, then continues. “Logan came here because there are murmurings of them planning to strike and in doing so, they will personally come for me.”
“So, your men are coming here to protect you.”
“And you,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.
He doesn’t know that I know and I’m not going to let him in on that either. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now, especially the way that his wife died. I don’t argue with him about it, or ask any more questions.
“Lonesable likes you, I think more than he likes me.”
Frowning, I reach out and touch the horse’s mane. “Oh yeah? How do you know that?”
“He told me, but he didn’t have to. He already scolded me for being unkind to
you, and he was right in doing so. What happened today, shouldn’t have ever happened, and I do apologize.”
I almost choke on my own spit. Not only did this horse speak to him, which I can’t even begine to really fathom, but then he apologized to me.
A man… apologizing?
This man apologizing.
I didn’t think it was humanly possible for him to do so. But here he is, proving me wrong, as he seems to already do quite often. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’ve only known him days and he surprises me constantly.
We’re silent for a few moments, then I feel his hand move against my stomach. Looking down, I can’t help but smile as he surprises me again. There between his fingers is a piece of peppermint stick candy. I’d already eaten the first one he bought for me. I didn’t see him grab another.
“Colt,” I whisper as I take the sweet candy from his fingers.
“I spare no expense for you, Birdie. Even if it’s cheap stick candy meant for children,” he says softly, though I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Thank you,” I sigh, bringing it to my lips and closing my eyes as the strong mint touches my tongue.
Leaning back against his chest, I open my eyes as I watch the red desert in front of me. I can see the speck in the distance that is the main house and I wonder why he’s chosen to live way out here like a hermit.
“I was given this land for my family, as a thank you for my service to this country and my family’s future service. It is mine, no matter what happens with my position.”
“So, you haven’t always lived here?”
There is a moment of silence and his body tenses behind me. I think that I’ve messed up, I’ve reminded him of his wife, but then he relaxes and starts to talk again. Only then do I let out a sigh of relief.
“No, I lived in a completely different territory before the war. There was nothing left for me there once the war ended, so I came out here after I was given the land. Instead of staying closer to the larger cities of our country, I choose to work out here and just send missives and information back and forth.”
Bride of the Frontier (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 3) Page 13