Edward made the rounds of the ballroom, introducing Noah and Matthew to all present. The music and dancing had already begun by the time he led them to where Major Winthrop and Lord Radcliffe stood in earnest conversation near the refreshment table.
Winthrop noticed their approach first, and he smiled broadly in welcome. “Edward…wonderful party…”
“Good evening, Edward,” Geoffrey greeted his host.
“Good evening, Lord Radcliffe, and thank you, Harley. My Lords Kincade, may I present Lord Radcliffe and Major Winthrop.” Edward made the introductions easily. “Lord Geoffrey Radcliffe and Major Harley Winthrop, this is Lord Noah Kincade and his brother, Lord Matthew Kincade.” He was pleased to have such notables in attendance and hoped his distinguished guests would find that they had much in common.
“I’m honored, my lords.” Winthrop, a tall, stout man in full military regalia, bowed in form.
“Major.” Noah and Matt both returned his greeting.
Though he was careful to disguise it, Geoffrey eyed the Kincades with some displeasure. He remembered that Noah Kincade had had a reputation as being quite a ladies’ man in England, and he did not like the thought of him being in competition for Eve’s favors. Certainly Eve was the most beautiful woman at the ball, and he had no intention of sharing her…not with Kincade…not with anyone.
Noah had been vaguely aware that James Radcliffe had had a younger brother who’d been banished to the colonies, but he’d never expected to meet him socially. He waited, nerves suddenly on edge, for Radcliffe’s reaction to his identity. If word of the duel and his brother’s death had reached him already, then Noah knew that a confrontation would be unavoidable. It was a confrontation he didn’t want. He was here to conduct business as quickly and quietly as possible without the taint of what had happened in England interfering, and he hoped that Geoffrey had not yet received the news.
Though the moment was a tense one for both Noah and Matt, they were relieved when the other nobleman showed no sign of recognition beyond the usual social amenities.
“My Lords Kincade.” Geoffrey nodded coolly in their direction. “What brings you two gentlemen to Boston?”
“Business, I’m afraid,” Noah responded noncommittally as he took a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing servant. “And you?”
“I suppose you could say I’m here on business, too,” he replied, thinking that his only business here in the colonies was the business of seeing to his own pleasure.
Eve had been keeping subtle track of Edward’s progress about the room as she’d danced with one of her admirers, and as soon as she could break free from the man’s persistent presence, she moved to join her host.
Her gaze was hot upon Noah Kincade as she drew near. She had recognized the nobleman at once when he’d entered the room shortly after she herself had arrived. He was tall and elegantly dressed in black velvet, and she found herself mesmerized by his overpowering presence. Noah Kincade, she’d decided, was every bit as attractive as the gossips had claimed, and Eve knew that somehow she was going to have him in her bed. She stilled a thrill of passion as she imagined his lips upon hers and his hands upon her body. How she would love parting her thighs to him! How marvelous it would be to be dominated by such a magnificent specimen of manhood! She could hardly wait to possess him completely!
Eve was cautious, though, and she schooled her features into a mask of polite interest as she approached. Geoffrey knew her too well, and it would never do for him to guess where her interests really lay…at least, not yet.
Edward noticed her coming to join them and introduced her. “Ah, Eve Woodham…I’d like you to meet Lord Noah Kincade and his brother Lord Matthew Kincade.”
“I’m honored.” Eve flashed Noah her most flirtatious look as he bent courteously over her hand.
“The pleasure is all mine, I’m sure,” he replied with ease.
As he greeted Eve, Matthew quickly discerned her carefully concealed interests, for her gaze followed Noah instead of looking at him. Though she was being careful to hide her emotions, Matt had seen so many women pursue his brother that he could recognize almost instinctively those who were about the chase. Knowing the outcome before the game even started, he took his leave of them as quickly and politely as possible and moved off to sample the refreshments spread out in sumptuous array on the tables nearby.
If there was one thing Noah was accustomed to, it was beautiful women flaunting themselves before him in hopes of gaining his affections. It was not a matter of ego with Noah, merely a fact that he had learned to deal with through the years. Women found him attractive, and many were very open in revealing their desire for a liaison with him. As he considered Eve with seeming indifference, he could tell that she wanted him. It was in her eyes as she met his gaze with frank boldness and in the unspoken invitation of her innately sensual movements as she stood before him.
Geoffrey, too, noticed her posturing, and he felt jealousy slowly begin to burn within him. She was his! How dare she flaunt herself before Kincade? Downing his drink, he fought down the urge to grab her and drag her from the room. There would be time later to let her know of his displeasure.
“If you’ll excuse me for a few moments, I see some late-arriving guests in the hall…” Edward took his leave of them.
“Of course, Edward.”
“How are you finding life in the colonies, Lord Kincade?” Eve asked with seemingly avid interest.
“Most interesting, Miss Woodham,” Noah replied drolly.
“Oh, it’s not Miss,” she told him. “It’s Mrs., but please call me Eve.”
“And your husband?” He quirked one dark brow at her invitation.
“Alas,” she sighed, “my husband has been dead for over two years now.”
“My deepest sympathies, Eve,” Noah responded.
“Thank you.” Her smile was tinged with what she hoped was the right amount of respectful sadness. “But it’s really not necessary. I’ve been out of mourning for some time now.”
Noah thought her pretty in a full-blown way, but as he considered her charms, CC stole into his thoughts… CC embarrassed by his overhearing her caustic comments on aristocrats, CC dressed in her outlandish boyish garb, and CC surrendering wantonly to his caresses in the darkness of the stables. A surge of desire filled him as he remembered that night, and as casually as he could, Noah lifted his head and glanced about the ballroom. As if by instinct, he found her, the emerald glory of her gown and the unpowdered, shining copper tresses drawing his gaze like a magnet.
Deep in conversation with Caroline Chadwick, CC suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if someone was staring at her intently. Looking up, her gaze collided with Noah’s and she felt heat flush through her body. Nervously she turned her back to him and tried to continue her discussion with Caroline.
“I’m sorry, Caroline; what were you saying?”
“I was saying, darling, that our dear, sweet Eve looks to have set her cap for a new man this evening,” Caroline related. Her eyes narrowed as she observed the merry widow hanging breathlessly on Noah Kincade’s every word.
“Oh? I hadn’t noticed…”
“How could you miss?” she commented dryly. “The woman’s practically falling out of her dress. It’s completely outrageous. Another inch and…Well, anyway, didn’t you see her? Why, as soon as the allemande she was dancing with Fulton ended, she made a ‘casual’ mad dash to where your father was introducing the Kincades to Major Winthrop and Lord Radcliffe. It’s disgraceful. Really, I don’t know how the woman gets away with it. She’s over there with him now just making a damned fool of herself!”
CC found herself growing irritated by all that Caroline was relating. She had made an honest effort to completely ignore Noah Kincade since he’d arrived, and had done quite well, until now. Now, since discovering his eyes upon her and listening to Caroline’s barbed comments about Eve’s behavior, she found herself shifting her stance so she could watch him covertly even as she continued conversation with her friend.
“Lord Kincade certainly is as handsome as everyone said,” Caroline went on. “And his brother, too. Don’t you think, CC?”
“I suppose,” CC answered distractedly. She didn’t want to care what Kincade did; in fact, she didn’t want to know. Yet she found herself unable to look away from the sight of Eve fawning all over him. For some reason, she found herself wanting to slap the widow.
“You only suppose?” Caroline gave her a very disbelieving look. “My dear, do you need glasses? They’re both marvelous-looking and, I understand, very rich…”
“Yes, that’s what I heard,” she agreed. She was glad when the musicians began to play again, interrupting Caroline’s endless chatter. CC was pleased when John appeared at her side and claimed her for the dance. Although she was tempted, she forced herself not to look over in Kincade’s direction again, devoting all her attention to John.
As the music began, Geoffrey quickly took the opportunity to ask Eve for the dance. Eve had been hoping that Kincade would ask her first, but she accepted Geoffrey’s invitation with outward grace. Inwardly, however, she was seething as he squired her through the intricate steps of the gavotte. Attractive and titled though he was, Geoffrey couldn’t hold a candle to Noah Kincade, and she was determined to find a way to lay claim to Noah’s affections.
Geoffrey’s gaze was riveted upon Eve as they danced. She was everything he’d ever desired in a woman, and he felt most possessive of her this night. The thought that she might be interested in Kincade annoyed him greatly. He wanted to take her away from the glitter of the ballroom and make love to her until she cried out her need for him, and him alone. His dark eyes lingered on her low-cut bodice, and he burned with the need to caress that silken flesh. The memory of the Randolphs’ ball several weeks before and of their wildly arousing tryst that night on the balcony beyond the ballroom sent molten excitement through his veins. He was hard put to keep his desires under control.
As the music ended, Geoffrey gave her no chance to leave him, taking her arm and escorting her out into the hall in hopes of having a moment alone with her.
“Geoffrey? Where are you taking me?” Eve demanded. She wanted to rejoin Kincade, not suffer any more of Geoffrey’s advances.
“I want to be with you, darling…alone,” Geoffrey whispered as he tried to guide her into the privacy of the deserted study.
“Geoffrey!” She refused to be drawn inside. “I want to socialize. The party has only just begun, you know, and we do have all night.” Eve added the last as an enticement to give him hope that at some point later in the evening she would go with him.
Hearing her promise of “later,” Geoffrey relented. “You know how much I want you, Eve…”
“I know,” she replied, giving him a sultry smile.
Thinking he was not going to protest, she started to return to the ballroom and Lord Kincade. However, Geoffrey was not ready to let her go yet, and he reached out to stop her.
“Did the few private moments we shared at the Randolphs’ ball mean so little to you?” His expression was alive with excitement as he challenged her.
“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous,” she purred, giving him further hope that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, while, in truth, she disdained the idea of ever making love to him again. She had her sights set on a man more worthy of her love. In Eve’s mind, Geoffrey was now very definitely a part of her past. “It was a wonderful night…”
Geoffrey smiled in arrogant male confidence. “I didn’t think you’d forgotten…”
The night of the Randolphs’ ball, when they had made mad, passionate love on the balcony, had been forever emblazoned on his memory as the most sensual night of his life, and he felt assured that many more like it would follow.
“As you said, my love.” He ran a caressing hand up her arm. “Later.”
Eve managed a strained smile as she was forced to return to the ballroom in his company.
Noah nodded to some inane remark the major had made. He lifted his glass of champagne to his lips and took a deep drink of the heady brew. Though he gave the appearance of listening to Winthrop, his attention was really riveted on CC and John as they moved about the dance floor. The memory of her passionate response to him taunted him, and the narrowing of his eyes as he watched her was the only outward sign of the state of his emotions.
With iron-willed control, Noah forced himself to look away, and he was pleased to see Eve returning to the ballroom. Though she aroused no great ardor within him, she would provide a diversion from his thoughts of CC. Noah had no desire to become involved with anyone, but he would have no objection to a casual dalliance, should the lovely widow be willing to oblige. Her charms were obvious, and perhaps it was time for him to relax and enjoy life a little more. Certainly he had no pressing financial problems at the moment, and it was just a matter of time before the arms shipment arrived, after which they would be well on their way to rebuilding their lives and their lost fortunes. Greeting Eve with a smile, he invited her to dance.
CC and John had rejoined a group of their friends after the music had ended, and she was enjoying a glass of champagne when she saw Kincade sweep Eve out onto the dance floor. Irritation surged. She didn’t understand it. She just knew that it aggravated her immensely to see the other woman in his arms. Still, she had to admit that they were perfect for each other. Kincade was an amoral predator, just like Eve.
Feeling her determination to ignore Noah slipping, CC made a desperate effort to turn her full attention to John. When he suggested they dance again, she agreed almost too eagerly. John was thrilled to think that he was finally making some progress in winning her love, and he gloried in the thought that she was warming to him. Perhaps Eve Woodham’s earlier prodding had made CC realize just how important his feelings for her really were.
CC’s endeavor to concentrate on John was sharply interrupted when she discovered to her dismay that Noah and Eve had lined up next to them for the dance. Was there no way she could avoid this man? Her gaze seemed drawn magnetically to Noah, and she found him watching her, but his expression was fathomless. Biting her lip, she looked quickly back to John and was glad to find that he hadn’t noticed her discomfiture.
The music began then. CC found herself dreading the moment when, because he was the gentleman to John’s right, she would have to take Noah’s hand and allow him to escort her through the intricate steps. A cold knot formed in her stomach as she anticipated his touch. Why did his very closeness affect her so? Did the touch of his hand really have the power to stir such dramatic feelings within her?
A terrible tenseness gripped CC as Noah stepped forward and extended his hand to her. Fighting down the shiver of apprehension that quivered through her, she moved mechanically to slip her hand in his. His hand was warm, enveloping her cold one in a firm, steady grip, and a myriad of electrifying sensations flooded through her at that simple touch. Her heartbeat quickened at his nearness, and as she caught the clean, manly scent of him, CC felt a surge of remembered excitement. Her mind screamed that it couldn’t be so, but her body ignored all her logical protests, responding vitally to just the feel of his hand on hers.
Noah glanced down at her and a slight smile curved his mouth, almost as if he sensed her distress and found it amusing. His silver gaze raked over her then in a bold assessment. CC’s heart jolted painfully in her breast as his words of the night in the stable echoed menacingly through her thoughts… Even a tease has to pay the price sometime… This is not the end, CC…not by any means.
It was with great relief that she found herself suddenly freed of his overwhelming presence. She continued through the motions of the dance completely unaware of anything save her desire to get away, to escape outside for a moment of peace.
John, totally ignorant of CC’s distress, was so happy with the way things were going between them that he did not object when she pleaded the need to be alone after the dance had ended. Before she could make her escape, however, Matthew Kincade approached them.
“Miss Demorest…may I have the honor of the next dance?” Matt invited.
CC had felt an immediate affinity with Matthew when they’d first been introduced, and she didn’t hesitate to accept. “Of course, Matthew, but only if you agree to call me CC, as all my friends do.”
“I shall be delighted, CC.” Matt smiled at her.
“If you’ll excuse me, John?”
“Of course,” John answered. Earlier, having seen the flash of appreciation in Matthew’s eyes when he’d first met CC, John would have worried at his intent, but now he felt confident enough to give her over to him without hesitation.
“Have I told you yet how lovely you look this evening?” Matt asked with courtly earnestness as he led her out onto the dance floor.
“No,” she replied, smiling sweetly, “but I’m more than willing to listen.”
Matt laughed out loud at her retort, drawing quite a few stares from the other dancers. The women of his social set in England could not hold a candle to CC, he thought with firm conviction. She was fresh and exciting, just like the land in which she lived.
“Your eyes are like the stars of night, your complexion, silken perfection, you-” he began in lighthearted good humor.
“Enough!” she protested. “I believe you!”
“Good, although there’s more if you’d care to hear it,” Matt added in mock confidence.
“Perhaps later.” CC shot him a teasing look as she followed his lead through the intricate steps and glides of the allemande.
“Ah, then there will be a ‘later.’…” He gave her the humorously exaggerated look of a hopeful suitor.
“Are you always this outrageous?” she asked as the dance brought them back together again, and she was surprised when he frowned at her question.
“I don’t know.” Matt paused for effect before adding with mock seriousness, “Am I being outrageous?”
“Very.” She smiled widely, enjoying his easy banter.
“Do you suppose your fiancé will be jealous?”
“My fiancé?” She was suddenly confused.
“John…”
“John’s not my fiancé.”
“Oh? I was under the impression…” Matt began, and then asked pointedly, “Then you’re not in love with John?”
“Well, no. Why did you think that?” Admitting her feelings out loud made her understand once and for all that she really didn’t love John.
“When Noah and I first arrived, you were talking to him about getting married,” Matthew related as the music came to an end, and he offered her his arm.
CC took it without hesitation and then answered honestly as they walked slowly across the room, “John wishes it were so, but there will be no marriage between us. I won’t marry a man I don’t love.”
“So you’re a heartless heartbreaker. Are you?” He winked at her audaciously.
“At twenty-two, I think I’m past the heartbreaker stage,” CC remarked facetiously.
“You can break my heart anytime.” He said it so gallantly that she laughed.
It surprised CC to realize that the entire time she’d been dancing with Matthew, she’d hardly given his brother a thought, and she felt more confident than she had all night.
“I feel in need of a breath of fresh air…” she remarked, not quite ready to return to John.
“Shall I escort you?” Matt offered willingly. He’d found CC a delightful companion and was in no hurry to leave her, especially since finding out that John Robinson was not her intended.
“I’d like that,” she told him honestly. “Let’s go out on the patio.”
They stepped through the French doors and moved out onto the terrace, unaware that Noah was watching them from across the room, his expression fierce and cold.
Noah was livid. Watching CC laughing and flirting so boldly with Matthew had infuriated him. How dare she lead his brother on so openly! What was she plotting? Matthew was barely out of short pants and hardly her equal when it came to intrigue. Noah knew what kind of woman CC really was, and he wasn’t about to let her take advantage of Matt’s naiveté. Hadn’t he just heard her discussing her upcoming marriage with John? What kind of woman shared heated embraces with him, planned marriage with another, and toyed with a third as the others looked on?
Noticing that John did not appear upset by her actions, Noah concluded cynically that they definitely had to be in this together. Why else would the man allow his fiancée to flirt with other men and lead them on? John, no doubt, had urged CC to seduce Matthew in order to gain influence over him. Then, once she had Matt within her power, they were going to use him to try to convince Noah to sell the shipment to the rebels at a lower price. The whole scenario certainly made sense to Noah, and his jaw flexed in anger. To think that CC had had the gall to accuse him of being double-dealing! She was nothing more than a conniving witch playing very treacherous games.
Noah turned and excused himself from Eve, who had been practically clinging to him since they’d danced. Then he started across the room to follow Matt and CC outside. All thoughts of Eve’s seductive ways and the promise in her eyes were banished from his mind as he stalked his prey. Cecelia Demorest was going to learn a very valuable lesson this night. She was going to learn that Kincade men could not be used.
Light from the interior of the house shone brightly through the French doors and illuminated the terrace and gardens beyond in a dim, golden glow. CC and Matt were standing in the deep shadows near the edge of the terrace, and CC was laughing easily at something witty Matt had said when Noah strode purposefully from the house. He paused for an instant to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and in that moment the lilting sound of her laughter came to him. As he glanced in the direction of her voice, his anger became a scalding fury when he saw CC lay a hand on Matt’s arm in what looked to be a very intimate gesture.
“Matthew!” He forced himself to keep the anger he was feeling from his tone.
“Noah?” Matt turned calmly to greet his brother, completely ignorant of his mood. “Come join us. CC and I-”
“You’re wanted inside, Matthew,” Noah told him conversationally. “I believe Edward had something he wanted to speak with you about.”
“Oh.” Matt glanced from Noah to CC, but in the semidarkness could read neither’s expression. “Well, CC, if you’ll excuse me?”
“Of course,” she replied, although she tensed at the thought of being alone with Noah. It was her worst imagining come true, and all her instincts were screaming for her to run from him, as far and as fast as possible. She trembled as she watched Matt disappear back inside the house. “It’s getting slightly chilly. I think I’ll go back in, too.”
CC started to move past Noah, but he was too fast for her as he grabbed her by her wrist and stopped her flight.
“Oh no, CC…you aren’t going back inside…not yet.”
“You lied to Matt…” Her gaze flashed with sudden icy contempt as she recognized his ploy, and her anger overcame her fear.
“Of course.” His feral smile was fleeting.
CC stared up at him accusingly, but his features seemed carved in stone as he regarded her expressionlessly. She knew a feeling of very real dread then, for there was something terribly sinister about his manner. She swallowed nervously.
“What do you want?” CC forced herself to sound more furious than fearful.
“I think there’s something you need to understand.” He spoke tersely.
“Oh?” she challenged him with foolhardy disdain.
“I know what you and your fiancé are up to, and it’s not going to work.” His grip on her wrist tightened threateningly as he thought of her deceitful ways.
“Let go of me!” CC snapped, tugging against his bruising hold.
“In my own good time, my dear,” he snarled, looking around the terrace. When he spied the steps that led away from the house, he started toward them, drawing her along with him down the short flight of stairs and into the deep, dark privacy of the gardens.
Panic seized her.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” CC cried as she found herself practically being dragged from the house. “I have no desire to be out here with you!”
“Would you prefer Matthew? Or perhaps your loving fiancé, John?” he derided hatefully.
“John is not my fiancé,” she snapped.
Noah ignored her reply completely as he drew her on down one of the formal walks, and toward the secluded summerhouse near the rear of the garden. Usually CC loved the garden, but on this night the definite chill in the air and the leafless trees and shrubs of late autumn lent it an unnerving eeriness. She began to shiver as he led her onward, the lights of the main house fading in the distance until she was surrounded only by darkness and his overpowering male presence.
“I said to let me go!” CC dug her heels in and managed to stop his progress for a moment. “I don’t know what it is you want, but you can tell me right here, right now.” Painfully she twisted her arm, trying to free her wrist, but his hand was like a steel band.
“So your game is to play dumb? It won’t wash,” Noah sneered, turning on her. “I know what you’re up to…the both of you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” CC seethed, finding his cryptic statement baffling.
“You know damn good and well what I’m talking about!” There was an ominous edge to his voice that CC had never heard before, and she knew a true moment of fear.
“Let me go! You’re a madman!” She began to struggle again, trying valiantly to break his grip. “You attacked me the night of the meeting, and now…”
Noah chuckled then, and it was a very unpleasant sound. “On the contrary, my dear little rebel, as I recall…and believe me, I remember everything about that night…you were the one who attacked me.” The moonlight cast harsh shadows across his taut, angry features. “You’re in too deep, little girl. It’s time you learned that you have to pay the price, if you’re going to involve yourself in men’s affairs.”
“What do you mean?”
Noah gazed down at her dispassionately. He found her innocent, terrified look most amusing, and he applauded her thespian skills.
“You really should take to the London stage,” he told her sarcastically. “Your performance is quite believable, and if I was not aware of your true colors, I just might be convinced by your wide-eyed claim of innocence.”
“It’s no claim, and I have no idea what you’re babbling about!”
“You’re boring me with your denials, wench,” Noah drawled.
“Why, you!” CC tugged forcefully and managed finally to free her arm from his punishing grasp. “You’re everything I ever thought you were and worse!”
“Ah, yes. Let’s see, I was either fat and ugly or a ‘mincing fop’… Wasn’t that it?” His eyes glittered dangerously. “And we both know I’m no fop, don’t we?”
In a lightning move he crushed her to him, his mouth swooping down with unerring accuracy to possess hers. The kiss was meant to punish. He wanted to show her exactly who was in control.
Though her arms were trapped between them, CC fought him, pushing with all her strength against the solid wall of his chest. She had been right to be afraid of him, and she should have run from him while she had the chance. What did he think he was doing? And what did he mean by all the mysterious accusations he’d just thrown at her? Her struggles to be free only heightened Noah’s desire to dominate her, and he broke off the chastening kiss to look down at her with hard, cold eyes.
“Shall we see just how dedicated you are to this cause of yours? Do you do whatever John tells you to do, if it will help achieve your goal?”
CC stared up at him in horror, trying to grasp what he was saying. “John? I don’t understand…”
“Then let me make myself a little clearer. There’s no need for you to waste your considerable charms on someone as inexperienced as Matthew when I am more than willing to sample the fare you have to offer.” He bent to capture her lips again, his tongue delving within to duel and master hers in a ravishing exchange.
With all the strength she could muster, CC broke off the kiss. She raised her hand to strike him, but this time Noah anticipated her move and snared her arm in a viselike hold.
“I wouldn’t do that ever again if I were you. I might be inclined to hit back.”
His grip was so fiercely unyielding this time that CC paled and swayed, fearful that the bone might snap.
“You’re despicable! Let me go! I want to go back inside!” she gasped, tears of pain filling her eyes.
Just an instant, seeing her very real distress, Noah felt a twinge of conscience and gave a fleeting thought to the possibility that he might be wrong about her. He stopped himself harshly. This was the woman who, despite her vows of hatred for him, had been in his arms eagerly the other night and had just tried to seduce Matt the same way. No matter how she tried, she could not deny it. She was nothing but baggage. She was deceitful and not above using her body as a tool to pursue her own ends. Why shouldn’t he take her if he wanted her?
“Oh? How would your lover feel about that? Aren’t you supposed to use this lovely body of yours to further the cause?” he growled as he pulled her to him. “I’m not averse to being tempted. Forget Matthew. I’m the one you should be concerning yourself with… I’m the one who’s in control…” Noah was snarling as he brushed aside her fichu and slipped one hand within the confines of her bodice to fondle the fullness of her sweet, rounded breast.
“Please…no!” She tried to resist, but it was useless against his strength. She tried to make some semblance of sense of his words, but she was totally, mindlessly confused. Was he crazy? What did he mean, use her body for the cause?
But there was no time left to think or to question as he kissed her again, his mouth moving over hers in a demanding, potent exchange. CC’s limbs were quaking as he held her pinned against him. She could not move, she could not protest. All she could do was submit to his bold, questing touch, and it infuriated her even as it frightened her. What did he mean to do with her? Her mind was on fire with the need to escape him, even as she felt the stirrings of desire deep within her. She refused to acknowledge her weakness, though, and held herself rigidly in his arms, determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing her desperation.
But Noah understood women far too well, and realizing that force was not working, he changed his tack. With all the moves of a master, he set out to seduce her senses, softening his kiss to a bare whisper of contact and easing up on his controlling embrace. He would dominate her, but he would do it with her consent.
CC was surprised by the sudden change in Kincade, yet she still held herself stiffly against him. She hated him! She would not capitulate. She would not let him know that his every touch was wreaking havoc on her senses. Any moment now, CC felt certain he was going to become frustrated in his efforts and stop, and then she would be free.
Noah, however, had sampled her wanton passion once and meant to taste it again. With slow precision he stole kiss after burning kiss, until she was unknowingly meeting him halfway. Pleased that he was making progress, but still not satisfied with her response, he pushed her gown from her shoulders and lifted her breasts free of the soft confines of her chemise. With ardent, heated caresses, he toyed with that sensuous flesh until he felt the tenseness easing from her.
CC was becoming lost in a haze of forbidden desire. She despised Noah Kincade, but her body was defying her mind and betraying her ideals to the ecstasy of his thrilling caress. CC knew she should continue to fight him, to deny him the triumph she knew he would feel in conquering her resistance, but she suddenly had no will of her own. And when his mouth moved to explore the sensitive tips of her breasts, she gave up the struggle. Exquisite pulses of pleasure radiated to all parts of her body, and she found herself gasping in sweet agony. Even as she detested him and all he stood for, she wanted him and she could no longer deny it.
“Kincade…” She breathed his name in a half curse, half cry.
Noah pulled back, straightening above her to stare down at her moonswept beauty. “My name is Noah.”
The stilling of his caresses left CC feeling oddly chilled and she stared up at him, the fires of her need burning hotly within the womanly heart of her.
“Noah…please…”
“Please what, CC?” he growled, sliding both hands down the curve of her back until they rested, knowingly, on her hips. With inexorable pressure then, he pulled her forward until she was flush against him. “Please make love to you?” he taunted.
The coldness of the gold buttons on his vest cut into the softness of her bared breasts as he crushed her to him, and still he pressed her closer until she could feel the strength of his male arousal. The alien contact, even through all the layers of their clothes, brought a sudden gasp from CC, and she glanced up at him, nervously wetting her lips.
“Yes…oh yes…” she pleaded, hungry for that spiraling peak of excitement he’d given her when she’d been in his arms the other night.
“Soon, love, you’ll know all of me. It won’t be like the last time,” Noah vowed as he brazenly took possession of her mouth again. His hands began an expert foray, tracing fiery patterns across the creamy flesh he remembered so vividly.
At some point in time-Noah could never recall exactly when-his intent changed. He no longer wanted simply to dominate her. Suddenly he wanted to make love to her. His senses were alive with the need to take her…they had been since the night of the meeting, although he’d tried to deny it…and he wanted her to share in the heat and passion of the moment. He wanted her to be a full and willing participant in their coming together.
Noah ignored the edge of uncertainty that threatened to dampen his driving desires. He was firmly convinced that CC Demorest was no blushing virgin. She was involved in underground activities. She was engaged to one man while openly leading on others…
“Remember, I’m only taking what you’re offering,” Noah muttered in a strangely hoarse voice, as if to exonerate himself of any possible guilt.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, CC knew she should tell him that he was wrong about her. Yet suddenly, at the sensual touch of his hand upon her breast and the insistent pressure of his manly pride against her maidenly softness, she had found herself inundated with wildly uncontrollable sensations, and she couldn’t reply. She was enveloped in a flame of need, heat surged through her, coiling tightly in that secret feminine place between her thighs. CC felt herself losing all touch with reality. She knew she should fight, especially now that he’d completely released her and was sweeping her up in his arms to carry her the rest of the way to the summerhouse, but she couldn’t. His erotic caress, his intoxicating kiss, and the very mesmerizing hardness of him had sent her senses skyrocketing. She was lost, to all but the desire for completion with this man.
Though Noah was caught up in the passion of the moment, too, he cynically applauded her acting abilities. What an accomplished little actress she was, he thought distractedly as he strode to the small house and entered its secluded interior. CC had gone from a fighting vixen to a surrendering whore in the space of a few exciting caresses. She had played both roles to the hilt, and he sneered inwardly at the change. Had she thought he would enjoy a challenge more than a willing woman? Was that why she had fought so hard in the beginning?
Noah knew he should taunt her with the knowledge that he had conquered her resistance and force her to admit her role in the plot with John, but there would be time for that later. Right now, his body was demanding satisfaction. He wanted her, she was willing, and he was going to have her.
Noah let her slide down the length of his body, and then kissed her deeply as his hands worked impatiently at the fastenings on the gown. CC knew only a moment of apprehension as he slipped the dress from her before surrendering without question to his demanding hands, and he stripped her of her remaining garments. She stood before him then in all her glory and Noah paused to stare at her loveliness in silent appreciation. CC was perfect. Her breasts were full and proud, her waist small enough to invite his touch, her hips gently rounded above long, shapely legs. His breathing grew ragged as he stepped closer to pull her back into his arms, and she went willingly.
Gently he guided her down onto the cushioned sofa, fitting his still-clad body intimately against her defenseless one.
“You’re beautiful, CC,” he told her as he explored every inch of her satiny flesh, seeking out her pleasure points, first with his hands and then with his lips.
His sensual touch was evoking feelings of desire CC had never experienced before, and she was almost frightened by the power of her own arousal. Restlessly she moved beneath his welcome weight, seeking something more, needing that unknown quantity that only he could give which would make her feel whole…complete…satisfied.
Noah rose above her, bracing himself by his arms as he gazed down into her face. Her eyes had been closed, but they flew open as he drew slightly away. Desire flared openly in the dark emerald depths of her gaze as she met his smoky one. CC thought vaguely that she’d never seen Noah’s eyes reflect quite that color before, and she lifted both hands to frame his face, pulling him back to her for a tumultuous kiss.
It was the final invitation he needed, and he broke away from her almost painfully to shed his own clothes. He could wait no longer. His need to be buried within the hot, pulsing sheath of her was more than he could bear.
CC watched him, feverishly, as he shrugged out of his dark coat and quickly unbuttoned his vest. Her gaze was ravenous as she devoured him with her eyes, visually caressing the powerful width of his shoulders and the broad expanse of his furred chest. Wantonly, she knew a sudden desire to run her fingers all over his chest and torso. Sensual heat surged through her at the thought, and in the night’s covering darkness, she blushed. It didn’t matter, though. Nothing mattered except having him back in her arms, touching her and creating those magic, mindless sensations within her again.
Noah stripped off the last of his clothes and turned to her then, giving CC her first unrestricted view of a man’s body. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him in fascination. He was magnificent as he stood there bathed in the moon’s fading glow. From his dark head to his slim hips and long, straight, strongly muscled legs, he was perfect. Timidly, CC avoided looking at his manhood, but Noah’s deep voice commanded.
“Look at me, CC.”
She glanced up, meeting his compelling gaze, and then trailed her line of vision lower until she saw him, full and powerful and ready for her.
“Noah…I…” She was nervous and uncertain, but he allowed her no time to waver as he came to her.
“I mean to have you, CC, and there will be no interruptions this time.” His tone was serious as he moved over her.
His body was a scalding brand upon her cool alabaster flesh, and CC clasped him to her hungrily as she tried to absorb some of his warmth. Noah nudged her thighs apart with one knee and then positioned himself to take her, sliding his hands down to her buttocks to lift her to him. CC gasped at the exciting sensations his touch aroused, but she was totally unprepared for the foreign thrust of his hips as he probed her softness, seeking entry. She stiffened at the strangeness of it and tried to push away.
“Noah…stop…wait…”
“It’s too late, CC, much too late,” Noah groaned as he found the portal he sought and thrust eagerly forward.
Noah felt her tense as her feminine resistance tore before his passionate onslaught. He felt her virginal tightness as he pierced her untouched depths and he froze, holding himself rigidly above her. His thoughts were chaotic. CC had been untouched until him… She had been a virgin… The enormity of the moment shocked him, yet he could not stop. The feel of her body, hot and velvet, holding him buried within her was driving him beyond all rational thought, and there could be only one outcome.
“CC…” He whispered her name hoarsely as he began to move, his body rocking slowly, gently against hers.
CC lay completely still. The passion she’d been feeling had vanished now that the pain of his penetration had ripped through her. She had never known there would be pain; she had thought his touch would only bring pleasure. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as he began to move in a foreign, yet somehow oddly familiar, rhythm.
Noah sensed the change in CC, and he brought his own surging desires under control with an effort. He was determined to make their joining good for her and he bent to kiss her, murmuring softly to soothe her fears.
“Easy, love. It’ll pass. Relax…”
CC gave a small, shaken sob as he claimed her lips, and Noah felt an even greater agony to know that he’d really hurt her. His kiss was soft and sweet, drawing her from herself and gradually easing the tension that pervaded her slim form.
CC had been stunned by all that had happened, but the gentle persuasion of his mouth on hers helped to calm her, and she sighed quietly.
“I want you, CC… I have from the beginning,” Noah told her as he trailed burning kisses down her throat and across her bare shoulder.
His action sent a shiver of awareness through her. CC was amazed to find that the knifelike agony of his possession had passed and only a pressing fullness remained. When his hands left her hips to cup and caress her breasts, she felt the faint stirrings of pleasure again and instinctively she pressed her hips to his, feeling a need for something more deep within.
A shudder of pleasure shot through Noah at her innocent invitation, but still he held himself in check. He had blundered once; he would not do it again. With patient care, he worked at arousing her once more, his hands skimming over her in an erotic play that teased her to the heights of desire and banished all thoughts of pain from her mind.
CC could not remain still beneath his burning weight. His masterful touch had transported her to rapture’s precipice, and she needed him to show her the way to total fulfillment.
“Noah…” She whispered his name as she lifted her hands to frame his face and draw his eyes to hers. “Please, Noah…”
Her plea broke what little control he still had over his own passions. He began to move within her again, this time taking care to pleasure her as he went. He never stopped touching and kissing her as his hips drove in age-old rhythm into her welcoming softness, and when she reached her pinnacle of delight and cried out her ecstasy, he held her tightly. His own peak soon followed, the knowledge that he’d taken CC from pain to pleasure heightening the joy of his excitement. They crested and soared, completely immersed in the splendor of their joining, and then rested, wrapped sensuously, intimately in each other’s arms.