“I’m so pleased you agreed to come to dinner,” Eve cooed as she sat opposite Noah at her dining room table.
“I was delighted with your invitation, Eve,” he replied, and at that moment he meant it.
Noah had passed the last few days trying to decide how to deal with Matthew. He had approached his brother several times in an effort to discuss his plans with him further. However, Matt had been adamant about his decision, even though he had not yet proposed to Faith or been accepted. Despite his threat to the contrary, Noah had no intention of forbidding Matt his funds and so, finally, had let the matter drop. It pained him greatly that they had come to this, and yet he knew of no other way to reconcile their differences. Matt was as firmly determined to stay in the colonies as Noah was to return to England.
It was the need for distraction from his concern for Matt that had finally led him to accept Eve’s invitation to dinner. He needed someone uncomplicated, someone who would help him forget all the conflict in his life, and he felt certain Eve was the one. He understood her. He knew that she wanted him, and if he found that she could be content with a strictly pleasure-giving relationship, he would be more than willing to oblige.
There had been a time after he’d received Eve’s invitation when he had thought briefly of seeking out CC again. The memory of her heated kiss and the excitement of her sweet young body had continued to plague him. Several times he’d been in the midst of business discussions when the thought of her had entered his mind, momentarily diverting his attention from the important matters at hand. Even so, despite the mutual physical attraction they seemed to share, Noah had discarded the idea. CC had made it quite plain every time they’d been together that she hated him, and because he had no reason to believe that any future meetings between them would be any different from those of the past, he had pursued it no further. He was in no mood for a battle of wills with her, for he had had enough of irrational obstinance in dealing with Matt’s defiance. He wanted a woman who was willing and who wanted him in return, not a woman he had to force to admit her passion.
“How have your business dealings been going?” Eve asked just to make conversation. She had no real interest in his business affairs. All she cared about was getting Noah into her bed. With any other man, she would have dispensed with the small talk, but Noah’s reaction to her advances when he’d accompanied her home after the ball had tempered her aggressiveness. She knew she would have to bide her time, play the hostess and allow him to make the first move.
“Everything’s been going quite well,” Noah answered easily. “The Lorelei will be leaving Boston soon for a run to the islands.”
“You aren’t planning on sailing with the Lorelei, are you?” Eve asked quickly.
“No. I have another ship due in port soon, and I have to be here to handle the business transactions,” he informed her casually.
“I’m glad,” she told him in a sultry voice as she took a sip of her wine, her eyes meeting his over the rim of the crystal glass.
Noah’s smile was sensual as he read the open hunger in her gaze. “I’ll be staying in Boston until the spring.”
“Good. That gives us plenty of time to become better acquainted.” Her meaning was clear, yet she did not press.
“Indeed it does,” he responded, lifting his glass in a silent toast as his eyes raked over her. She was a beautiful woman. Her curves were alluring, her eyes upon him were heated in invitation, and her mouth, full and pouting, promised untold delights. Noah knew that Eve Woodham would not fight off his advances; if anything, she would welcome them. Eve would make a very sensual mistress.
Eve saw the flame of desire in his gaze, and she began to tremble in excitement. Never before in her life had she wanted a man so badly. Lord Noah Kincade was her dream. She stared at him in the flickering of the candlelight, admiring his devilish good looks. His dark hair was unpowdered, and his refusal to follow the style only convinced her all the more that he was a man of his own convictions. He was not like Geoffrey, who constantly strove to stay abreast of the most current fads. Noah Kincade needed no artifice to prove his manhood. His shoulders beneath his perfectly tailored coat looked broad and strong, and she longed to caress his hard-muscled chest. The crisp whiteness of his shirt and artfully arranged cravat enhanced the darkness of his tanned, lean features. Eve knew a desperate longing to touch him and kiss him and take him deep within her.
Noah smiled at her then, and the slightly mocking smile sent Eve’s pulses racing as she imagined that he’d read her thoughts.
“Shall we go into the parlor?” she suggested, still not confident enough to be more forward with him and hoping the more comfortable setting of the sitting room would encourage him to be more bold.
“As you wish.” Noah maintained his aloofness as he followed her lead into the fashionably furnished parlor.
“Please, sit down. Would you care for a brandy?” Eve gestured toward the comfortable-looking sofa as she moved to a small liquor cabinet. At his nod, she poured him a generous amount in a snifter.
“Thank you.” He accepted the glass as she sat down beside him.
“My pleasure,” she purred, leaning comfortably back as she savored her own drink.
Noah’s eyes were dark upon Eve as he raised the snifter to his lips to drink of the potent liquor, but as he tasted of the brandy he was reminded of the last time he’d partaken of it…and of the woman he’d met that night…CC.
Annoyance grew within him as the auburn-haired beauty drifted through his thoughts, and he wondered why he was thinking of CC when he wanted nothing more than to relax and enjoy the evening with Eve. As deceitful as he knew CC to be, he felt certain that she was probably out somewhere with John right now using her body to further their revolutionary cause. The thought of her sharing the secrets of her lovely body with another man enraged him, and Noah silently cursed himself for having agreed to Ryan Graves’s terms so quickly. Perhaps if he’d played his cards right, he might have had CC at his beck and call-willingly-until the Pride finally arrived. As it was, now that he had come to an understanding with the rebels, there would be no real reason for him to have any contact with CC again. He found the prospect unsettling but didn’t have time to dwell on it as Eve interrupted his thoughts.
“Is something wrong?” Eve was asking as she noticed the sudden, unexplained fierceness in his expression.
“No,” he denied, not even wanting to consider that memories of CC’s lovemaking might have the power to ruin a night of carnal desire in Eve’s arms. “Nothing is wrong. Absolutely nothing.”
Taking her glass, he placed it along with his on a nearby table and then wasted no time in pulling her into his arms. Eve was elated. He wanted her! Surrendering to his demanding kiss, she met him in that passionate exchange, forbidding him nothing as his lips parted hers and his tongue delved within her mouth to tangle erotically with her own.
Sensually she pressed herself against him, and her hands were never still as they took the opportunity to explore the width and strength of his shoulders. The solid, taut feel of his hard, masculine body beneath her hands thrilled her, and she could hardly control her need to be free of her clothing and naked in his arms.
Noah had thought he would be able to lose himself in Eve’s embrace, that a night of wild, undemanding passion was what he needed, but he realized now as he felt Eve’s hands boldly exploring him that she was not what he wanted…not what he needed.
The realization that he really did not want to make love to Eve came as quite a shock to him. A short time ago in England any woman would have done as long as she was comely and clean, but now all that had changed, and he was confused. Even the sweet Polly at the inn, who was as eager for his favors as the aggressive Eve, had not appealed to him since the night of the ball. He wondered what had happened in that brief, yet enthralling interlude with CC in the summerhouse that could have affected him so deeply.
As Eve melted against him, her body alive and throbbing with barely leashed passion, she was totally unaware that another woman-a woman she thought little of-held Noah’s thoughts. Hungrily she kissed him, moaning his name in a desire-drugged voice.
“Noah…I want you…”
The sound of her voice jerked him completely back to reality, and he took her by her upper arms and tightened his grip to hold her away from him. Eve was stunned by his halting of their embrace, and she stared at him in bewilderment for a moment before speaking.
“Noah?” Her voice was throaty and suggestive. “Don’t you want me?”
The answer was obvious to Noah, but he knew he could hardly tell her the truth-that he didn’t want her…that there seemed to be only one woman who could satisfy him right now, and that woman was CC Demorest.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Eve, and I find you very desirable…”
“Yes…” She was hopeful.
“But I am not in a position to make any commitments at this time, and I feel you deserve more than I can give you right now.” The lie was a smooth one, and he felt certain that by his telling it, Eve would be left feeling good about herself.
“Noah…” Her heart swelled with even more love for him. He respected her! It was more than she’d ever hoped for, and she firmly believed that there was a very real chance for a marriage between them now. “You are such a wonderful man…”
She leaned forward to kiss him tenderly. It was a kiss that Noah accepted without active participation.
“But I understand…”
“You do?”
“Yes, and it doesn’t matter. The way I feel about you is so special… I want you very much, Noah.” Her meaning was clear.
“I don’t want to use you, Eve,” he said firmly as he got to his feet. “It would be best if I left now.”
Eve reluctantly admitted that the night was lost. “All right, but Noah…?” When he glanced down at her, she continued, “I’ll be here, should you change your mind.”
Noah bent to her then and kissed her one last time before letting himself out of the room.
The immense crowd assembled at Faneuil Hall was a noisy, vocal one, and Matthew stood at Ben’s side listening with avid interest to all that was being discussed. When they had first arrived some time before, he’d been surprised by the size of the gathering. Though he had known from all he had heard that the revolutionary theory was growing in popularity, he’d had no idea that there were this many of them willing to stand up and be counted in their discontent.
Matt found the meeting fascinating. Men of all ages and walks of life were there expressing their opinions of what should be done now that the Dartmouth, one of the English ships carrying tea for the British East Indian Company, had docked at Griffin’s Wharf. Everyone was in an uproar at the thought of the hated tea being unloaded, and a plan of action had to be formulated. The discussion was heated as opposing factions argued over the best way to deal with the situation.
It was during a particularly long-winded speech when Matt took the opportunity to glance around him that he caught sight of John Robinson standing with a younger man a short distance away. He was surprised by his presence, and he tried to imagine why Robinson would be interested in any of this. Curious, he told Ben that he would be right back and then edged his way through the boisterous throng in his direction.
“John!” he called out as he drew near.
“Kincade…” There was open disbelief in his tone.
CC, who had donned her boyish disguise in order to attend the meeting, felt her heart sink at John’s greeting, and she paled as she tried to decide what to do.
“Just turn slightly away and don’t say anything,” John murmured under his breath.
“Right.” CC had never in her wildest dreams expected to run into anyone with connections to her father at the meeting, and she was nervous. She had told her father that she was going to Marianna Lord’s home for the evening, and if word got back to him somehow of her attendance here tonight…
“Good evening, John,” Matt greeted as he came to stand with them.
“What are you doing here?” John asked as he tried to position himself to block Matt’s view of CC.
“I should be asking you the same thing. I thought you were an ardent loyalist.” His comment drew unwelcome stares from a few of those nearby. “Who’s your friend?”
John and CC were caught, and the moment was a tense one. There was no way to avoid the revelation without creating havoc, and the one thing they didn’t want was to draw undue attention to themselves.
Bravely, CC made the decision herself. She turned quickly to face Matthew, watching in tense expectation as his expression turned from cordial to stunned disbelief.
“CC?” Matt could not believe his eyes. The young man was no man at all, but beautiful CC Demorest in disguise.
“Yes, Matthew, it’s me.”
“But, CC…” His surprise did not abate as he stared down at her. She was a gorgeous woman, the daughter of a wealthy British agent, and yet she was wearing nondescript, baggy boy’s garments and attending a meeting of the dissident colonists.
Before Matt could say any more, CC motioned for him to follow her through the crowd to a more private spot near the back of the hall.
John was worried, and he stayed protectively by CC’s side. He found Matthew Kincade’s presence completely unsettling. As far as John knew, Matthew had taken no active part in his brother’s negotiations with their group. John couldn’t help but wonder what, if anything, Matthew knew about the situation. If he’d been told all that had happened, then they were in no danger, but what if he hadn’t been told all the details and had merely come to the meeting for sport? Mentally, John prepared himself for the worst.
“CC, I don’t understand… What are you doing here, dressed like that?”
As John realized his worst fears were coming true, he tensed, ready to do whatever was necessary to protect CC from disclosure. Although she was frightened, CC knew it was too outrageous a situation for her to try to lie about. She liked Matthew; she had from their first meeting, and she felt reasonably sure that she could trust him. She decided to tell Matt the truth and hope for the best. Certainly, since Noah was in the middle of negotiating an arms sale to the rebels, Matt couldn’t very well threaten her with any kind of exposé.
“I came because I wanted to know what was going on,” she answered simply, “and I dressed like this so I wouldn’t be recognized.”
Her blatant honesty surprised him. “But isn’t it dangerous for you? You’re the daughter of an important British agent… Your father’s a loyalist…”
She gave a little shrug, “Much to my father’s distress, we have long held different political views.”
“Does he know about this?” He was incredulous.
“No, and Matthew”-her gaze met his, open yet pleading for understanding-“I hope it stays that way.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” he promised. He had thought CC quite a lady when he’d met her at the ball, and he was now even more impressed. Not only was she lovely, but she was educated and an independent thinker, too.
“But what about you, Matt? I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“Yes,” John challenged, not at all sure of CC’s decision to be honest with this man. “Why would a titled Englishman like yourself be interested in the complaints of the colonists?”
“I’ve found myself growing more and more intrigued with life here in Boston, and I wanted to learn more about the problems that are causing all the trouble.”
“I’m surprised,” CC put in, “although I don’t suppose I should be.”
“I don’t understand.” Matt gave her a puzzled look. “Why do you find my interest so remarkable?”
“For a moment I was thinking that you were more like your brother,” she remarked scathingly. “I have to remember that the two of you are nothing alike.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not…” Matt frowned.
“Oh, it is,” CC told him hastily, leaving Matt to wonder what Noah had done to leave her with such a bad opinion of him. “You’re much more approachable than he is and, I believe, far less opinionated. I mean, at least you’re willing to take the time to listen, whereas Noah couldn’t care less. I’m sure he thinks any complaints we colonists might have are not in the realm of his vital interests and therefore not of importance.”
John stiffened imperceptibly at her use of the nobleman’s first name. His gaze narrowed as he wondered just when she’d started referring to him so intimately.
“Indeed you’re right. Many of my countrymen feel that way,” Matt agreed. “I’m sure they would find my interest in such matters offensive, but I assure you that I am most serious in my intent. Since first arriving here I have discovered that the authorities are very selective about how and for whom they wield their power.”
“You have?” CC was amazed at his answer.
“Yes.” There was a blaze of emotion reflected in his eyes as he answered. “It was a lesson well learned, and I intend to help rectify the situation if I can.”
“And Noah doesn’t share your interest?” CC found that she had to know.
John’s curiosity turned to jealousy as she used his first name again, and he tried to imagine what reason she might have for being interested in Lord Kincade’s plans.
“No.” Matt’s answer was abrupt, reflecting the tension between them. “Noah has no real interest in any of this.”
“I know,” she replied a little too bitterly.
The sound of her tone drew a curious look from Matt and he wondered how she could possibly know of Noah’s affiliation. Then he remembered Noah’s manipulations to be alone with CC in the garden the night of the ball and speculated that maybe there had been more to the moment, as he’d originally suspected. After all, her flight into the music room that night had coordinated with Noah’s departure with Eve…
“I didn’t know that you and Noah had become so well acquainted,” he ventured easily.
CC realized her mistake and hastened to try to cover it. “Oh, we’re not.”
But Matt was far too perceptive for her and he knew she was trying to hide something. Something had happened between them, for he knew his brother, and he knew that Noah did not discuss any of his personal affairs with anyone.
He glanced up then and saw Ben looking around in the crowd for him, his expression worried. “If you’ll excuse me…I came with someone and I’d better get back.”
“Of course.”
Matt met her gaze squarely and told her, “I always keep my promises, CC.” With that, he moved off through the crowd.
CC started to follow Matthew, but John grabbed her by the arm and halted her progress.
“John?” She turned to look at him quizzically.
“I want to talk with you…” he said through gritted teeth.
“What? Why, of course…”
She went along unresisting as he pulled her back into an even more secluded corner.
“What is it? Are you worried about Matthew?”
“No, I’m not worried about him,” he dismissed quickly, having believed Matthew Kincade to be totally honest. “He’s the least of my worries…”
“Then what?”
“I want to know what’s going on with you and Kincade.”
“Matthew and me?” She was confused. There’s nothing between-”
“I know that, CC. Don’t play stupid. I don’t mean Matthew, I mean the older one…Noah.”
“Nothing,” she denied as firmly as she could.
“I don’t believe that, CC. I want to know how you came to be calling Lord Kincade by his first name!”
It was only then that she realized her mistake, and she hurried to try to cover her slip.
“He asked me to call him by his first name…” she managed.
“When, CC?” he demanded, his hold on her tightening. John had heard rumors that CC had been out in the garden with Lord Kincade the night of the ball, but she had been so attentive to him that night that he had dismissed them as unimportant. Now, though, they had taken on a whole new meaning for him, and he was consumed with jealousy. “When you were in the garden alone together?”
CC felt herself flush, and she jerked free of his bruising grip. “It’s none of your business, John! You have no hold on me!”
“Oh yes I do!” He tried to grab her again, but she eluded him and raced away outside into the night.
Her running out drew only a minimum of attention, but John knew all would be watching if he pursued her. Frustrated, angry, and seething with jealousy, he tried to bring his emotions under control as he turned his attention back to the speakers.
Noah’s mood was black as he sat alone in the plush interior of his hired coach. Nothing was turning out as he’d planned. Nothing.
The shambles that was his life seemed to be growing even more complicated, if that was possible. The differences between Matt and himself were pronounced, and it troubled him that they had little common ground anymore since their last fight.
Noah knew that he had been hard on Matt at the time, but he’d truly felt that he was making a mistake in deciding to marry Faith and stay on in Boston, and he’d wanted to convince him of the error of his ways. Noah sighed heavily as he admitted to himself that all he’d managed to do was to alienate Matt even more. Now, whenever their paths crossed, they spoke briefly, but not of anything of importance. The encounters always left him feeling oddly bereft.
Noah had hoped a return to his old devil-may-care ways would cheer him, and for that reason he had accepted Eve’s invitation to dinner. He scowled sullenly into the darkness as he thought of the past few hours. The evening had been a complete fiasco. He wondered again why he hadn’t been able to banish the emerald-eyed vixen, CC, from his thoughts when he had been holding the lush, willing Eve in his arms. He could have taken Eve. She would have reveled in it.
What the hell was the matter with him that he didn’t want a voluptuous, wanton, willing woman? A woman was a woman… Weren’t they all alike? The answer that forced its way into his consciousness left him completely stunned, and he immediately denied it as ridiculous. There was no way that CC Demorest meant anything to him. He knew what kind of woman she was. She was a deceitful, cunning witch, and he wanted no part of her.
As the image of CC making love with John Robinson flashed through his thoughts and tormented him, Noah cursed out loud at the vicious flare of jealousy that ignited within him, but he still refused to admit that he cared anything for her. The reason she was affecting him so, he decided with as much logic as he could muster, was because she’d been a virgin when he’d taken her. That was the only reason. There was nothing more to it than that.
The carriage was moving along at a goodly clip when suddenly it lurched to an abrupt, unexpected halt that threw Noah roughly against the wall.
“What the…” Swearing loudly, he thrust open the coach door and yelled out to his driver, “What’s happened?”
“A young boy, sir…run right out in front of me!” the driver told him as he jumped to the ground from his perch.
“Where? Is he injured?”
“I don’t know yet. He’s layin’ there kind of still…”
Concerned, Noah climbed out and hurried with the driver to see to the youth. The darkness hid the boy’s identity until Noah got close enough to recognize her. He stood in shock for a moment, staring down at CC’s inert form.
“CC…dear God…” He felt as if someone had torn his heart from his chest.
“You know ’im, sir?” The driver gave him a curious look as he wondered how such a fine gentleman could be acquainted with such an urchin.
“Yes, I know him,” Noah growled, kneeling beside her and touching his fingers to the delicate pulse point in her throat. The steady rhythm of her heartbeat sent blessed relief through him, and he was grateful when she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“Noah…” Her voice was soft and confused.
“Yes,” he replied gruffly as he quickly disguised the feelings of joy that possessed him.
CC saw a flicker of some unknown emotion in his gaze but had little strength then to question it. “Noah…” It was a helpless sigh that wreaked havoc on his emotions, and with a muttered curse, he swept her up into his arms and strode back toward the carriage.
“Sir?” the driver asked, not knowing what to do as the gentleman placed the young boy in the carriage and then climbed in after him.
“Just drive for now. I’ll give you directions in a moment…” Noah instructed as he pulled the door shut.
The coachman stared at the closed door for a moment before returning to his seat and once again taking up the reins.
CC sat quietly in the comfort of the coach, her heart, her mind, her soul filled with Noah’s overpowering presence. When she’d opened her eyes after the accident and had seen Noah’s handsome face hovering above her in the darkness, it had seemed for just a moment that she had been dreaming…that there had been no one else in the world but the two of them. The feeling had been rapturous.
Ever since their encounter in the parlor the other day, he’d been constantly in her thoughts. CC didn’t understand why his touch and kiss could affect her so, but she knew that there was something about Noah Kincade that left her weak-willed and hungry for his touch. It worried her even as it fascinated her. She knew him. She knew what he was about and what he valued. He was not a man she could love, and yet she found herself irresistibly drawn to him.
CC sighed as the reality of the situation intruded on her. Running away from John, as she had, had been stupid. She shivered as she imagined the repercussions of anyone discovering her true identity. She was glad that she’d taken the time to anchor her tricorn so firmly, for that extra care had prevented it from being dislodged during the accident and had saved her from possible recognition.
Wearily she reached up to remove the pins that held the hat so securely. As she removed the tricorn and unpinned her hair, Noah turned to her. The relief he was feeling over the fact that she had suffered no lasting harm in the accident was quickly forgotten as his eyes met hers, and he read there what he thought to be her usual dislike of him. The thought infuriated him. He had just saved her from who-knows-what, and she had the gall to glare at him as if he were some kind of monster.
CC was trying to decipher the strained look on Noah’s face when suddenly he erupted in fury, his eyes narrowing to the forbidding silver expression she knew so well.
“Just what the hell do you think you were doing running around the streets like that?” Noah snapped harshly, staring at her garb.
“It’s none of your business what I was doing!” she countered, the last sweet fragments of her imaginings disappearing as wisps of fog before a cold, devastating winter wind.
“When you ran out in front of my coach, you made it my business!” he argued, not sure whether he wanted to shake her until she admitted the foolishness of her act or kiss her until she understood how frightened he’d been.
“Then I beg your pardon, Lord Kincade. Believe me, I had no wish to intrude on your evening, and I hope my untimely arrival didn’t ruin any of your plans…” she bit out ungratefully as she shook her head and allowed her hair to tumble free.
“I’m afraid you did ruin my plans…all of them…” he muttered softly, more to himself than to her as he stared at her in the dimness of the coach light. Even Noah’s anger, which was substantial, could not dampen the thrill of excitement he felt at having her so near, so unexpectedly.
Her upset was such that, even though his answer surprised her, it did not stop her from replying brashly, “Again, my apologies, although I fail to see how a moment’s delay in your busy schedule could ruin anything. Just stop the carriage and let me out. You can then be on your merry way.”
“Why? So you can try to kill yourself again?”
Wondering why he should even care, she glanced at him, puzzled, and time hung suspended as their gazes met and locked. They studied each other warily in the softness of the night shadows, his eyes, smoke-gray now, challenging and questioning hers as each dared to probe the other’s thoughts and emotions. Slowly, as if mesmerized by the gentle rocking and sweet privacy of the carriage, Noah leaned closer and, without touching her in any other way, let his lips meet hers. The moment was explosively enthralling as the gentlest of caresses sent shock waves of awareness through both of them. Noah moved back slightly to stare down at her in wonder, and he lifted one hand to tenderly touch her cheek.
“You’re very beautiful, CC…very beautiful…” His voice was low and filled with husky male desire.
CC felt as if she were drifting. The rough velvet sound of his deep voice and the tingling caress of his hand left her breathless and weak. All thoughts of hatred and distrust were banished. Languidly, as if she’d known for all her life that this moment would happen, she went into his embrace, whispering only “Noah…”
Noah gloried in her seeming willingness, and he wrapped his arms about her in a fiercely possessive hold as his mouth moved to claim hers, tasting and testing the joy to be found in that passionate exchange. Feverishly they broke apart for an instant and then melded again, the impassioned kiss a mere imitation of the mating their bodies so longed for.
CC felt Noah’s hands upon the buttons of her shirt, and she shivered in expectation. She remembered well the ecstasy of his hands upon her bare flesh, and a low moan of excitement escaped her.
Until that moment Noah had been holding a part of himself back, refusing with that one last shred of resistance to believe that she was coming to him without a fight, but the sound of her eager need cast the last of his doubts aside. Boldly he parted the soft material and slipped a hand within to push aside her bindings and cup the round fullness of one breast. Tantalizingly, he teased the nipple to hardness as his lips left hers to explore the sensitive cords of her throat.
CC clung to Noah desperately as his hands and lips worked their magic upon her silken flesh, and when he guided her down to lie upon the comfort of the leather seat, she did not protest. His caresses were intoxicating, and she was drugged with desire. There was nothing she wanted more than to be one with him, and she looped her arms about his neck and pulled him down to her.
“Please, Noah…”
“Ah, CC…” he groaned as his lips moved lower to seek out the taut crests of her breasts.
CC whimpered her need as Noah suckled there, the erotic drawing arousing her to a fever pitch. For the first time in her life, CC knew a desire to touch as well as to be touched. She reached out to Noah in her excitement, caressing his hard-muscled form with eager hands. His response to her aggressiveness was immediate and exhilarating and she found herself enjoying the feeling of power it gave her to know that she was able to please him.
With trembling fingers CC unbuttoned his shirt and then embraced him fully, exploring his chest and stomach with a restless, heated touch, coming near but never quite touching that most intimate part of him. Her teasing caresses were driving Noah to distraction. Desperate to feel the softness of her hand upon him, he finally grasped her wrist and forced her to touch the hardness of his need for her.
CC gasped at his slightly rough maneuver, but when she saw reflected on his face the sheer rapture her caress gave him, she no longer needed to be forced. She wanted to please him. She wanted him to experience the same ecstasy that she felt whenever he touched her. More brazenly now, she traced patterns of fire upon his body, and Noah groaned in passionate need.
“CC…ah, love…I need you so…”
“Yes, Noah…please, now…” she pleaded as he shifted his body away from hers to give him room to unfasten the breeches she wore.
“I’ve never made love to anyone wearing breeches before…” he murmured with just a touch of humor as he slipped the offensive garment down her sleek legs, baring her womanhood to his questing caress.
“I wish you’d never made love to anyone before me…” she told him almost fiercely as she felt jealousy surge within her at the thought of him with another woman.
He did not miss the possessiveness of her tone as he gathered her near, and he told her huskily, “More importantly, CC, there will be no one after you…”
The memory of Eve threatened the moment as she responded vaguely, “I wish I could believe that…”
Noah did not answer, kissing her instead as proof of his desire, and CC put it from her as she surrendered to his masterful expertise. There was no more time for talk then as he moved between her thighs, and after freeing himself from his own breeches, he fitted himself to her in love’s most intimate caress. CC gasped as she felt the magnificence of him slide deep within her, and Noah shuddered in excitement as he felt the wet, satiny heat of her close around him and hold him tightly. Wanting her aroused and ready, he began to fondle her again, pressing kisses to her silken flesh as he began his rhythm. When she started to move with him, matching his thrusts, he reached down to cup her hips and press her more closely to him.
That single demanding action sent waves of throbbing pleasure pulsing through her, and she cried out his name in her ecstasy. Noah felt her peak as he continued his driving possession, branding her as his own for all time. As his own pinnacle of love neared, he clasped her to him, rocking powerfully against her in the age-old dance of delight that soon had him spiraling mindlessly out of control in the rapture of his release.
They came back to reality, not softly as lovers should, but quickly and harshly when the driver shouted down.
“Sir, I’ve been driving for ages now… Do you know where you want to go yet?” He thought the whole situation odd and wondered what was going on in his carriage.
His loud, demanding call shattered what beauty there was of the moment and left them chilled and suddenly cautious of each other. A confusing tumble of emotions assailed them both. Neither found the strength to speak of their thoughts or to look the other in the eye as they quickly moved apart. Noah swiftly rearranged his own clothing and shifted away to the opposite side of the coach while CC scrambled to pull on her breeches.
“Head for the Common,” Noah ordered brusquely, buying them time.
“Yes, sir,” came the reply as the carriage turned a corner, changing directions.
Noah watched CC surreptitiously as she worked at fastening the buttons of her shirt. When she seemed to be making little progress, he leaned forward and brushed her hands aside to do it himself. CC submitted to his assistance only because she was too nervous to do it herself.
As he performed the task, his knuckles pressed ever so lightly against the still sensitive tips of her breasts, and her body responded wildly to that simple stimulation. Nervously, wishing he would finish so she would be free of her torment, she held herself stiffly and tried to control her breathing so he would not know, but Noah sensed the change in her. He looked up at her questioningly, girding himself as he expected to face her fury.
Her expression was unguarded in that moment, and what he saw reflected on her flushed features sent a surge of disquieting emotion through him. Her emerald eyes were wide and soft as she tried to deal with her passion, and as she met his gaze, her tongue darted out to wet her lips…inviting without inviting.
Ensnared by the haunting beauty of her gaze, Noah paused in his endeavor and let his regard drop from her face to the still-exposed loveliness of her breasts. The shirt was gaping open, revealing their swelling, hard-tipped perfection, and he knew a commanding desire to press heated, arousing kisses upon that, her most erotic, flesh. At just the thought of claiming her once more his loins came alive, throbbing with maddening intensity. It was only the lurching of the carriage as it rounded yet another corner that tore his thoughts away from his runaway desires and back to reality.
The reality was, he realized with a jolt, that this attraction between them had to be fought. His need for her was becoming almost an obsession, and he had to conquer it. He could not allow any woman to become that important to him. She was a female just like all the others; there was nothing different about CC.
The hidden thought taunted him that there was something special about CC, but he ignored it. He had come to Boston with only one goal, and he had almost accomplished that goal. He had no intention of allowing CC, a mere colonial chit, to interfere with his plans. He was going to reestablish the Kincade name in England. Nothing else mattered-not CC, not the damned revolutionary cause, not anything. Firmly he hardened himself against her, focusing on his goals.
As CC stared up at Noah, watching his expression turn aloof and slightly arrogant, her emotions were in a turmoil. She was aching with the need to be touched by him again, to feel the thrill of his lips upon her bosom and the strength of him buried deep within her, but her thoughts were at odds with her body, demanding that she control herself and deny her passion.
Logic was coldly dictating to her that she was a fool to have given herself to him. Noah was amoral, used people to his own benefit, and loved money above all else. If those reasons weren’t enough to discourage her interest, he had every intention of leaving Boston and returning to England just as soon as he could.
Still, and this came as a devastating revelation, CC could not deny that she wanted him. She knew every bad thing about him, and yet, the moment he touched her, her body betrayed her and she could only surrender.
No one else had ever had the power to excite her as he did, and distraughtly, she wondered for a moment if she could possibly be in love with him. The thought frightened her and drained her desire as she fought to keep from even considering it. She could not, would not love Noah Kincade! Defiantly, in victory over her wayward emotions, she shuttered her own expression.
“I’ll have the driver drop you near the Common,” he said coolly, his gaze resting impersonally upon her now.
CC didn’t know what she’d expected him to say and she was glad it was something unrelated to what had passed between them. “Yes. That’ll be good.”
“I think it’s important that we make certain to avoid each other from now on.” Noah spoke first with cool purpose.
“I didn’t exactly plan this ‘rendezvous,’ you know!” Though CC logically agreed with his statement, her heart shattered in agony. She busied herself with fastening the rest of her buttons and cramming her hair back up under her hat.
He gave an exasperated sigh as he replied with disdain, “Please, there’s no reason for us to belabor the point.”
“There’s nothing to belabor, Kincade.” She girded herself against the need she had to go back into his arms and stay there as long as he would have her. “What happens between us defies sensibleness. I don’t even like you…” Her expression reflected the loathing she felt for both her own weakness and for him.
“What a relief,” he remarked drolly, covering the odd hurt he felt at her declaration.
CC glared at him. “You just stay away from me, and I’ll make every effort to avoid you.”
“I shall do my best,” he nodded.
The driver called down as he pulled the coach to a stop. “We’re at the Common. Now what?”
Without another word CC opened the door and jumped out into the concealing Boston night, the sting of tears pressing her to hurry away before Noah could witness her upset. Noah found himself peering out the door after her, feeling suddenly as if he’d lost something very precious as he listened to the fading sound of her footfalls.