CC couldn’t believe her luck as she dutifully walked her father to the front door late the following evening.
“I hope everything goes well for you, Papa,” she told him, kissing his cheek as she bid him good-bye.
“I don’t understand why this meeting is so important that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning, but I shall endeavor to make the best of it,” he groused. “As it’s late already, I’ll no doubt be delayed past midnight. Don’t wait up for me. I’ll just see you in the morning.”
“Yes, Papa,” CC answered respectfully as he started down the steps to his waiting carriage. “Good night.”
“Good night, CC.”
She watched until his conveyance was out of sight before moving back inside and closing the door against the slight chill in the night air. It was with a great sigh of relief that she gathered up her skirts and darted for the staircase. Now that he was out of the way, it was time to move, and move quickly. Hurrying to her bedroom, she locked the door securely behind her and began a breathless search through the darkest corners of her armoire to find her hidden cache. When at last she had the secret bundle in hand, CC tossed it on the bed and began to undress. She was busy struggling to unbutton the buttons of her dress when the knock came at her door.
“Miss CC?” Anna’s call was muffled through the locked door.
“Yes, Anna. What is it?” CC took care to keep her tone relaxed.
“I was just wondering if you were going to be needing me anymore tonight.”
“No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“Well, I’m not feeling real good. I thought I’d go to bed early, if it’s all right with you, of course.”
“You go on to bed. I’ll be just fine. In fact, I was thinking about retiring early myself.
“Thank you, Miss CC.”
“Good night, Anna. Get some rest.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure I’ll be fit as a fiddle in the morning. Good night.”
CC smiled to herself as she considered how perfectly everything was going. She had worried that she would have difficulty sneaking out of the house undetected at this late hour, but her father’s unexpected imperative business meeting and now Anna’s illness had rendered her escape a most easy matter.
Conquering her stubborn buttons, CC slipped out of her gown and quickly shed her petticoats and chemise before moving to the bed to untie the parcel she’d retrieved from her armoire. With eager hands, she pulled on the wrinkled, dark-colored boy’s clothing, buttoning the loose-fitting shirt over her full breasts and tucking it into the waistband of the knee breeches. White stockings and heavier, low-heeled boy’s shoes were donned, along with a baggy, nondescript vest to camouflage the swell of her bosom. Anxious to be gone, CC moved quickly to the mirror to pin her heavy mane up. That done, she snatched up the tricorn that completed her disguise and carefully anchored it on her head.
A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that any resemblance between her current self and young Miss Cecelia Demorest was remote. The breeches were skintight, as the young boys wore them, hugging her hips and thighs revealingly, but the baggy shirt and overlong vest helped to conceal her more feminine curves. She felt a sense of freedom whenever she wore her boyish garb, and she took secret delight in these times when she got to carry out her masquerade.
Though she knew she was being outrageously daring every time she ventured into town so disguised, she also knew that there was nothing more important in her life than being involved in the movement to rid the colonies of the hated British domination. It was necessary for her to pretend to be a lad in order to move about the city unobserved. A woman traveling alone at this time of night would draw undue attention to herself, but the sight of a boy walking the streets after dark was not uncommon.
Satisfied that even her father would have trouble identifying her should they meet on the dark Boston streets, she straightened her room and arranged her pillows under the covers on her bed to resemble a sleeping body, just in case someone decided to come checking on her. After unlocking the bedroom window that opened nearest the massive oak tree, CC took one last surveying glance around the chamber to be certain that all was set to rights, and then climbed nimbly out into the tree’s thick, supportive branches.
Though he had spent the entire day on board the Lorelei going over the ledgers and manifests with Lyle, Noah was not particularly tired as he retired to his room that night. If anything, he felt strangely tense, as if a huge spring were coiled deep within him. Accustomed to being in complete control of himself, he found the stress annoying. Still, he knew the cause. It had been two days and he had not yet heard from Joshua Smith. He was certain that the rebel would contact him eventually, but that knowledge didn’t make the waiting any easier.
Restlessly he moved to the washstand, poured a bowl of water, and then began to strip off his shirt. Bared to the waist, he idly rubbed the taut muscles in his neck, wishing that the inn boasted whiskey of the same caliber as he’d had at Demorest’s home the night before. Certainly a glass of the smooth, strong liquor would help to settle the unusual uneasiness that gripped him.
The memory of the evening at Demorest’s brought a fleeting thought of Edward’s daughter, CC, and Noah grimaced. Lovely though she was, her profession of disliking him even before they’d met had done nothing to endear her to him. Not that it mattered, of course, for he had no intention of becoming involved with any woman. Still, it had been a most amusing scene when she’d turned to find him standing behind her in the hall. A slight smile curved the grim line of his mouth as he remembered her startled expression and the becoming blush that had stained her cheeks upon his most gallant introduction. Certainly, since she’d promised her father to do her best to “make him feel welcome,” the ball Friday night did promise some amusement.
The knock at Noah’s door interrupted his thoughts, and thinking that it was probably Polly, he did not bother to pull on his shirt as he strode forth to open it. The sight of a tall stranger standing impatiently in the deep shadows of the hall, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side, took him by surprise.
“Kincade?”
“I’m Lord Kincade,” he replied, regarding him levelly.
“I’m Joshua Smith.” Smith eyed the half-dressed Englishman skeptically. He had no use for these fancy aristocrats, and he took an immediate dislike to this one.
“Mr. Smith…please come in.” Noah held the door wide and then closed it securely behind him. “Have you come with an answer for me?” he asked quickly as he snatched up his shirt and began to dress.
“There are a few matters we have to discuss before we get to that,” Smith answered obliquely, waiting until he had Noah’s complete attention before bluntly speaking his mind.
“Didn’t Captain Russell tell you everything?” Noah was immediately on the defensive.
“He told me some.”
“And?”
“And we don’t trust your kind, Kincade. Might as well get that out in the open right now.”
“I see.” Noah’s tone was icy. “What is it that you feel you need to clear up about me?”
“I’ve cleared up a lot on my own, but what I haven’t been able to find out is exactly why you’re interested in selling to us and not the government. It seems rather odd to me that a nobleman like yourself would be willing to turn your back on your own kind.”
Noah’s gaze turned steely as the man’s question touched a nerve, and he replied with cold precision, “Why I’m doing this is none of your business. Either you are interested in what I have to sell or you’re not. And if you’re not, I’m certain there are others who would be more than willing to pay my price. It’s that simple.”
They stood glaring at each other for a long moment, measuring one another’s worth.
After weighing all he knew, Smith gave an abrupt nod. “The meeting’s tonight. We have to leave now.”
Noah nodded tersely, not revealing any weakness to the rebel. The last thing he’d wanted was a discussion of his motives or a disclosure of his more recent past. It was private. Something he would never discuss again. “Fine, I’ll-”
A sharp rap on his door cut him off.
“Noah?” Matt called out.
“Who is it?” Smith’s tone was angry.
“My brother.”
“Russell didn’t say anything about you having a brother. Get rid of him.”
Noah partially opened the door to speak to Matt. “What is it?”
“I thought I heard voices, and I thought something might be wrong…”
“There’s nothing wrong, Matt,” he dismissed curtly. “Just business.”
“I see.” He knew that he had heard voices, and he now understood exactly what was transpiring. The rebel contact…
“I’m going out,” Noah informed him in a tone that brooked no response. “I’m not sure when I’ll return.”
“I’ll be up,” he answered. Though he did not approve of his brother’s plan of action, he wanted to know exactly what was going on.
When Noah turned back to Smith, the colonist was watching him with narrowed eyes. “How much does he know?”
“Only the business end of the deal. Nothing else. There’s no need for him to be involved.”
He studied the nobleman for a long moment. “Get ready. We have to go. And wear something dark. We don’t want anybody taking notice of you when we’re in the back streets.”
Noah pulled on his dark coat and quickly followed Smith from the room.
John Robinson was waiting for CC several blocks from her house, and they started on the trek to the Green Dragon Inn together, shoulders hunched, eyes downcast lest they run into someone they knew.
“Did you have any trouble getting away?” he worried.
“No. Luckily father had a business meeting he had to go to. As I figure it, I should make it home before he does,” she told him, matching him stride for manly stride as they trudged on toward the inn.
“CC, you don’t know how I worry about you…” John began hesitantly. “Are you sure you want to continue this charade? You know the risk you’re taking.”
He glanced at her quickly, and the look he gave her reflected his disgust with her outfit. He thought it much too dangerous when she disguised herself to attend the meetings. She was a lady and should act like one.
“John…” The unspoken threat was in her tone as she halted and faced him squarely, hands on hips.
“I know,” he replied, annoyed by his inability to control her. As much as he loved her, he found himself growing more and more disenchanted with her whenever he came up against her independent, headstrong ways.
“Then let’s go.” She stalked off. CC had hoped that their conversation the previous day had blunted his feelings, but he seemed just as possessive and dictatorial as ever.
They reached the Green Dragon Inn without speaking again and, after giving the appropriate password, were admitted to the secluded room above the stable where the meeting was to be held. Greetings were exchanged among those present along with news received from the other colonies by the Committees of Correspondence.
“I’ve heard that an outsider is coming tonight,” Jack Dearborn, a small, nervous man who moved in the inner circles of the group, confided to CC and John as they settled in around the large table.
“Who?”
“Don’t know his name, but I know there was a lot of arguing among the leaders as to whether to deal with him or not.”
“Why did they decide to do it?” CC wondered. “Is he someone important?”
“More importantly, is he someone we can trust?” John asked.
Jack shrugged. “Don’t know. All I know is that Joshua is bringing him. They’ll probably show up a little later.”
John and CC exchanged puzzled glances as they tried to imagine why a stranger would be admitted to their midst. Times were treacherous enough without risking the sanctity of the meetings.
A respectful hush fell over those gathered as John Hancock entered, followed closely by Sam Adams. They were a study in contrasts, the rich merchant and the fiery orator. Hancock, impeccably groomed, was a perfect example of the successful Bostonian. Adams, his gray wig askew, his brown suit badly in need of pressing, his shoes scuffed, tended to look as if outward appearances meant nothing to him.
All listened attentively as Adams, furious and indignant over the news he’d just received, addressed the group first. In his usual impassioned manner, he bombarded those present with the outrageous revelation that, along with the terrible monopoly given the British East India Company over colonial trade, Governor Hutchinson had cleverly arranged to have his own sons appointed as agents for the tea, thus ensuring their own future riches at the expense of everyone else. Graft and corruption! Monopoly!
Local merchants would be driven out of business by the English dominance! The people would starve! And if Parliament could ordain a monopoly on tea, what was to stop them from setting up other singular controls?
Those at the meeting responded with indignant fury at the news Adams imparted, and a rumble of protest swept through the room.
“There is only one solution to these abuses!” he declared. “We must be freed from tyranny! We must be independent! It’s the only answer!”
Cheers of agreement answered his call, and Adams then relinquished the floor to Ryan Graves.
“I think we all are in accord with Sam’s assessment of our situation. We are sending notice to the other colonies through our Committee of Correspondence to try to block the sale of English tea, and while this may help, it will not end the problem.”
“Here, here!” someone shouted in a patriotic frenzy.
“There is only one way to end Britain’s stranglehold on us…” Graves’s tone lowered as he prepared to deliver the most important bit of news. “There is only one solution, and it’s inevitable. We must be ready! It is precisely for that reason that I have agreed to meet with a man Joshua Smith tells me could help our cause.”
A sudden quiet settled over the meeting until one voice called out in question, “How?”
“Joshua has informed me that he’s made contact with a man who is interested in selling us arms.”
The silence that gripped the room was deafening. It had finally been spoken aloud…the dreaded possibility that had been considered by all, but quickly denied. They did not want to fight, but they also realized, if it came to conflict, they had to be physically prepared or face almost certain annihilation at the hands of the British regulars.
“How do we know we can trust this man? How do we know he’s not some kind of spy working for Governor Hutchinson?” another asked.
“It’s a chance, at this point in time, that we have to take. Let there be no mistake,” Graves warned ominously. “The day will soon be upon us when we will be needing the military supplies.”
CC was frowning, troubled, when she whispered and looked at John. “He’s right, you know. They’ve pushed us too far this time. Full independence is the only answer.” The prospect sent a shiver of trepidation through her even as she supported the effort completely.
Graves began to speak again, but he paused as the guard at the door moved to admit a late arrival. When Joshua Smith stepped into the room, all eyes turned in his direction. Hope and distrust mingled in their expressions as they waited, and a hush fell over them as they watched a mysterious, tall, dark-haired man follow Joshua inside.
Mysterious, that is, to everyone but CC. Aghast, CC stared in horror as Lord Noah Kincade strode to the head of the table and shook hands with the leaders gathered there. Anger and outrage filled her as she shifted her chair, unnoticed, farther back into the shadows. What was Kincade doing there? He was the enemy! A nobleman! A liar! Last night he’d been casually sharing a drink with her father, telling him of his arms shipment and how distressed he was over the thought of possible fighting in the colonies. Now…now he was here at a meeting of the rebels!
What game was this slick, arrogant fool trying to play? Just who was Noah Kincade, and what did he stand for? Was he truly a rich English lord who was possibly spying for the governor, or was he an amoral opportunist who would sell anything to anyone for the right price? Both possibilities hardened her heart even more toward him. As she watched him speak privately with Graves, Adams, and Hancock, she wondered if she should reveal all that she knew.
John noticed then that CC had become silent and shifted position when the stranger arrived. He asked her in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing really. I just didn’t want to take a chance with my disguise. I don’t like outsiders being invited to our meetings.” CC didn’t know why she refrained from telling John the truth, but she held her tongue and she was grateful when Graves started to speak and drew John’s attention from her discomfort.
“This is Lord Noah Kincade,” Graves introduced him.
Noah’s title did nothing to endear him to those present, and their expressions reflected their hatred and mistrust.
“He owns several ships, one of which is currently en route to Boston laden with military supplies. He is willing to sell those arms to us.”
“Why?” a gruff voice challenged from the back of the room. “You’re an Englishman, right?”
A derisive smile twisted Noah’s lips as he addressed the question coolly. “I am an Englishman, but I am more so a businessman.”
Several snorts of mocking disbelief were heard.
“How long till the king’s soldiers come pounding on the door, Graves?” someone else shouted. “The man could be a spy!”
“I’ve checked him out,” Joshua Smith related firmly.
Noah spoke up, “I am no spy and you need not fear that I will reveal any of what passes here tonight to the authorities, even if we do not come to an agreement. You see, I have as much to lose as you do, if my dealings with you are disclosed.”
The gathering quieted as he went on to tell them more.
“Before I sailed from London, I was advised by a nameless contact to get in touch with Mr. Smith here when I arrived in Boston. The contact said you might be interested in what I have to sell. Knowing that there is a great possibility that hostilities might erupt soon, and being the businessman that I am, when I made port I directed my man to attempt to locate your leaders. He met with Smith to tell him of our shipment, and after clearing things with Mr. Graves, Smith came to me. Smith saw to it that I was blindfolded for the major part of the trek to your meeting place. The location of your rendezvous point will remain your secret.”
There was a murmuring of approval at the tactics so far employed.
“I am here strictly to offer you a product for a price,” Noah relayed dispassionately. “If you’re not interested, there are others who are.”
“What are you selling and how much?” a cautious voice called out.
“Three thousand pounds,” Noah intoned emotionlessly, “for a shipment of the finest-quality flintlock muskets, gunpowder, rounds, and cartouche boxes. The Pride’s also carrying field guns, cannon shot, and grapeshot. I doubt, gentlemen, that you’ll get another opportunity like this one.”
Dead silence gripped the room as leaders and followers alike tried to grasp the enormous amount being demanded for the goods.
“Would you be willing to sell us only a portion of the shipment?”
“It’s all or nothing, sir. As I’m sure you’re aware, I do have other alternatives. I’m sure agents of the Crown would be more than willing to pay my price.” Noah was unbending in his response.
CC gritted her teeth as she heard his last remark. Agents of the Crown! Her own father! Kincade was a mercenary of the first order!
“Sir, it will be necessary for us to discuss this further,” Graves said, deferring an immediate decision. Indeed, if it had come to that, he would have been forced to decline. Money was the problem.
“Of course. If you like, I can wait outside.”
“Smith…” Graves called for the man to escort him from the inner chamber to allow them privacy.
The discussion that followed was lively, as those present argued both for and against the purchase of the weapons. John joined in, ardently opposing the purchase. He was one of many who feared that by buying the weapons, they would be admitting that there was no further hope for peaceful negotiations with Parliament to rectify the very real problems that existed between them.
CC, however, was too caught up in her own emotions regarding Kincade’s treacherous appearance, and she intended to get to the bottom of his ploy, whatever it was. Drawing as little notice to herself as possible, she left her seat at John’s side while he was embroiled in the discussion with the others and exited the meeting room, heading in the same direction as Smith had taken Kincade. She came upon them, standing in silence in the darkness just beyond the rear door of the stables below.
“Smith,” she called out to Joshua, “I’m sure they’ll want our input. I’ll stay with our guest.”
The unusual inflection CC gave the last word caused Smith to pause, but he shrugged off her obvious distaste for Kincade, believing her to be one of those who opposed the purchase of the war supplies. With a nod, he left her in charge of the Englishman as he returned to the meeting to add his opinion to the discussion.
Noah thought the youth’s voice sounded familiar, but his thoughts were too filled with anticipating the rebels’ decision to give it much consideration. Perhaps, he thought distractedly, the boy worked at the inn and he’d met him there at some other time.
“You! You lowlife swine!” CC’s volatile temper flared to full fury as she glared at him through the night’s enveloping gloom. She didn’t bother to wonder why his duplicity annoyed her so much. She had disliked him from the first, and this discovery of his true character only built on that initial aversion.
“I beg your pardon?” Noah glanced at the short youngster with mild amusement.
“You’re despicable! You think that if you play both sides against the middle, you’ll come out a winner either way, don’t you?” she seethed self-righteously.
The challenge in her words was unmistakable, and Noah pivoted to face her, keeping his expression carefully blank.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, son. And besides, aren’t you a little young to be involved in such goings on?” he questioned derisively, hoping to shut the boy up and put him in his place.
“You’re a double-dealing coward!” CC couldn’t believe his audacity. He was amoral and two-faced. He claimed to be a loyal Englishman, and yet he showed no hesitation in turning around and selling the arms to the very people who would use those weapons against the British.
Her words hit her mark. The last man who had referred to a Kincade as a coward was dead. Noah instinctively reacted to the insult, his hands snaking out to viciously grab her by her upper arms and drag her forcefully closer. CC had meant to berate him, but she had never expected him to respond with physical violence. She struggled against his overpowering strength, twisting and tugging in her need to be free of his bruising hold.
“Let me go, you bloody English dog!” With all her might, she kicked out at his shins, and she knew a moment of pure, triumphant pleasure as her foot connected and he grunted in pain.
“You little guttersnipe!” Noah growled threateningly.
CC’s moment of victory was lost as Kincade snatched her to him by her shirtfront, popping several buttons off. He paid little attention to the damage to her garments as he almost lifted her from her feet to shake her in anger, the action knocking her hat from her head. Released from its bondage beneath the tricorn, CC’s glorious mane of thick auburn curls fell in riotous satiny waves to her slim shoulders, revealing to Noah for the first time her true gender and, after a stunned moment, her real identity.
Noah went still as he stared down at her in disbelief. Cecelia Demorest? How could it be? What was she doing dressed as a lad? And, more important, what was she doing involved in this group?
“Let me go!” CC demanded, her breasts heaving in agitation. She ached all over from the mauling she’d just received at his hands, and she was very aware of the firm grip he had on her now ruined shirt, for his clenched knuckles were pressing firmly against the softness of her disguised bosom. The contact created an unfamiliar stirring deep within her loins, and she twisted, trying to pull herself free and get away from the pressure.
“Oh no, Miss Demorest.” Noah smiled wolfishly as he studied her closely. “I’ve suffered enough of your insults. It’s time I demanded and received some satisfaction from you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Her words were a breathless whisper as she stilled and stared up at him, emerald eyes wide with fright. CC had felt no fear in attacking him before, but now something new pulsed through her, and the strength of the unknown emotion frightened her. Her expressive features mirrored her terror, and Noah read her perfectly. It pleased him, oddly enough, to think that he had her at a disadvantage.
“Then I will show you what I mean…” he growled, his head dipping to allow his lips to claim hers.
It was a dominating kiss-a kiss designed to humiliate and conquer. CC again began to struggle, wanting-no, needing-to be away from him, but Noah would have none of it. His free hand reached up to tangle in her hair firmly and hold her immobile. With masterful intent, Noah possessed her mouth, his tongue penetrating and pillaging the inner honeyed sweetness.
Had CC remained passive, Noah would have soon tired of the game, but she refused to submit gracefully to his attempt to overpower her. With all her might she fought against his hold, until in a moment of desperate desire, she tried to yank free. The cloth of her shirt gave way, revealing in the night’s deep shadows the full, round perfection of her breasts.
The sound of the tearing cloth penetrated Noah’s thoughts, and he drew back sharply to look down at the ragged piece of material he clutched in his hand, and then at her. Cecelia Demorest, Noah decided rather distractedly, had a beautiful body. Her hair…her eyes…and, bare for him to see for the first time, her breasts. Pale-hued and pink-crested, they rose and fell with the uneven tenor of her rapid breathing, and Noah could not stop himself from dropping the shred of cloth and reaching out to touch their creamy, hard-tipped perfection.
CC stood still, watching dazedly as he reached out to touch, ever so lightly, the swelling, taut fullness of her breast before moving to tease the pert, aching peak. The thrill of those practiced fingers caressing her most sensitive flesh was so unbearably erotic that CC felt her knees weaken, and she began to shiver. It was only with the sound of a low moan, one she realized later had come from her own throat, that reality intruded. Jerking quickly away from his questing, arousing touch, she desperately attempted to cover herself with the frayed material.
“No! Get away from me, Kincade!”
Noah, not used to being denied, was not about to let her put him off. She had been playing with fire, and it was time she learned that he was the one in control.
“Oh no, my little hellcat…” He leered at her appreciatively as he took hold of her shoulders, and the shirt once again gaped open. With slow, torturing precision, he drew her inexorably to him. “You started this, and by God, you’re going to finish it!”
“I hate you!”
“I know.” His mouth curved in an almost demonic slant as he bent to her. “You’ve hated me from the first…”
Why not? Noah thought as the need for release pulsed hungrily within him. Obviously the chit had the morals of a streetwalker if she was dressing up like a boy and involving herself in such volatile, masculine matters as the political underground. Noah felt certain he wouldn’t be the first to taste of her lovely charms, and he knew he surely wouldn’t be the last.
Crushing her to his chest, he kissed her hungrily. He wanted a woman, she was there, and despite her protests, Noah could tell by the response of her body that she was not as averse to his touch as she wanted him to believe.
CC was scared, more scared than she’d ever been in her life. Kincade’s hands were everywhere, touching, probing, exploring, and yet all the while preventing her from escaping his dastardly clutches. Her breasts, bare and sensitive, were throbbing as his fingers worked their magic on their pink crests. When his mouth left hers, moving lower to suckle one hardened peak, her legs buckled. Only Noah’s strong arm about her waist supported her, and she was unable to fight…unable to flee. She was mindless in her need. Never before had a man touched her so, and never in her wildest dreams had she ever considered that a man’s caress could bring such physical ecstasy.
As his lips and tongue continued their mesmerizing play, Noah slipped one hand lower to cover the sweetness of her heat. Suddenly he wanted more from CC than just to ease his manly need in the depths of her body. She was a flame of excitement to him…the feel of her…the scent of her. His senses were enraptured by her nearness. The desire for a passionate union with this woman surged through him, and Noah knew he would settle for no less.
CC didn’t understand exactly what was happening to her, but the languid weakness that had spread through her at the touch of his lips on her breast became now a driving force, urging her to move against the hand he pressed so tightly, so intimately to her most secret places. Noah accommodated CC’s movements, matching the thrusting of her hips to massage her expertly to heights she’d never known existed. He wanted to please her and to show her the ecstasy only his touch could give.
Hands that had fought him earlier gripped his shoulders now in rapturous desperation…wanting…needing…craving. CC’s breathing was strained, panting as her body responded wantonly to Noah. When he moved to kiss her again, bringing her hips full against the hardness of him, a rainbow of rapture shot through her at the alien contact that suddenly seemed so right. He held her hips pinioned to his, letting her move against him in feverish rhythm until she crested the peak her body had instinctively known would come. Shudders of spendor wracked her slim form as she collapsed in his arms, her head thrown back in sated ecstasy, her eyes closed, savoring the delights her body had just revealed to her.
It pleased Noah to find that she was so responsive to him and that he could pleasure her so easily, and he laughed softly as he held her cradled victoriously against the hardness of his chest.
It was that arrogant, deep-throated chuckle as his lips sought once again the soft flesh of her exposed throat that jarred her back to reality. CC blinked in shocked realization of what she’d done. She had allowed him liberties she’d never allowed another, and now he was laughing!
“Now, love, you shall know true satisfaction,” Noah was saying as he started to strip her pants from her in preparation of introducing her to the joy of love’s completeness. He was caught totally by surprise when CC let out a high-pitched shriek of indignity and pushed away from him full-force. Stunned to find herself out of his restrictive embrace, she backed nervously away from him.
“How dare you? You are more vile than I ever dreamed!” she cried, clutching her arms about herself protectively as she stared up at him with wide, terror-filled eyes.
How could this have happened to her? Somehow she had to get away! She had to!
Noah loomed threatening above her, his face dark with anger, his eyes narrowed and glittering. “So it’s a tease you are, is it?” he thundered, not willing to let it end so easily between them. His body was on fire with desire for her, and he had no intention of letting her flee from him. He reached out to her, wanting to finish what they’d started.
CC backed desperately away from him, but she found herself pinned against the wall of the stable. He moved forward, his expression so ominous that she knew there would be no escaping his wrath. She thought about running, but he was blocking her only path of escape.
“No…” She held up one hand to ward him off, turning her head against the sight of him, so tall and dark and foreboding.
“Oh yes, my little hellcat. Even a tease has to pay the price sometime, and your time is now.” Noah’s tone was unyielding, as were his hands as he reached out and grasped her by her upper arms. The sweetness of the moment was gone. Before she could protest again, his mouth swooped down to cover hers as his hands slipped within the waistband of her trousers to touch the womanly core of her that he so longed to penetrate.
Only the sound of the door to the meeting room opening and low, muffled voices coming their way saved CC from Noah’s full possession. Hearing the others coming, Noah gave a growl of complete frustration and released her abruptly, stepping away. He eyed her disdainfully as he straightened his clothing with a casual nonchalance.
“I would suggest you cover yourself or leave,” he advised dispassionately. “Unless, that is, your friends are used to your doing this. In fact,” he added in a low tone, “if you wish, you may come to my room at the Red Lion Inn later. Then we can see this to a proper end.”
“How dare you?” She gasped at his words and struck out at him with all her might, the sound of her hand connecting with his cheek rending the night.
“This is not the end, CC. Not by any means.” His expression carefully blank, Noah stared down at her for a brief moment before turning away and walking off into the stable to meet the men who were coming for him.
Numbly unaware of the compromising danger of her situation, CC stood stock-still staring after him as he disappeared into the building. When he’d gone from sight, the harsh truth of the moment assailed her. She knew she had to get home, and get home fast, by the darkest, most out-of-the-way route possible.
Clutching her shirt across her bosom, CC ran from the scene. She was scared, but that was not the overriding emotion that was driving her as she skirted the more populated areas of town and stayed hidden deep in the shadowy cover of the night. No, hatred for Lord Noah Kincade was the fuel that was guiding her flight homeward. It was a hatred that burned so fiercely it left her wondering if she would ever be able to look at him again without wanting to wreak very real vengeance upon his person.
Gasping for breath, she finally reached the haven of her tree, and with her last ounce of energy, she climbed it’s protective branches to the safety of her own bedroom. Secure within the protective surroundings of her own locked chamber, she moved unsteadily to her four-poster bed and collapsed weakly across it.
Her heart pounding, CC lay panting upon the softness of the counterpane. As she stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts were of Kincade, and Kincade only. She despised him. He was everything she’d thought he was and worse! And to think that he had the gall to suggest she come to his room later! The thought embarrassed her, and she rolled quickly over to hide her burning face against the coolness of the covers. Still, the despicable visions of his unwanted kiss and touch would not be so easily dismissed, and a shudder wracked her as she remembered in humiliation the way her body had responded to him.
The memory of the ecstasy she’d experienced at his hands troubled CC, and she drew a long, ragged breath as she thought of all that had happened. How could she have done it? How could she have sought his touch so eagerly when he’d brought her full against him? CC blushed as she remembered how she was all but climbing all over his lean, hard frame. A dull, hungry ache started anew within the heart of her as she recalled the heat of his mouth upon her breast and the taste of his passion-inducing kisses, and, frowning, she timidly touched herself. CC gasped at the sensation that shot through her and gritted her teeth as she climbed off the bed. What had that fiend done to her? She had never felt this way before, and it was all his fault!
Her distress evident in her actions, she viciously stripped off the boy’s clothing and poured herself a bowl of cold water at her washstand. Vigorously she scrubbed every inch of her body, wanting to erase his scent from her skin, but even as she washed, thoughts of the way her breasts responded to him haunted her, and she threw the damp wash-cloth across the room with violent force.
“Damn him!” she uttered in frustration. Why couldn’t she put the memory of him from her mind? He had used her…abused her…
CC stormed to her armoire and rummaged through, looking for her nightdress. Finally locating the soft, filmy garment, she tugged it on impatiently, trying to ignore how sensitive her nipples were now to the material’s silken caress. Bundling up her boy’s things, she hid them carefully again in the back of her wardrobe.
After climbing back into bed, CC curled on her side and tried to rest, but sleep would not come. Instead, her exhausted mind replayed again and again her degrading, outrageous encounter with Kincade. She had been helpless against his formidable charms, and she was devastated by the realization. He had manipulated her body just as he manipulated people. Though CC forced herself to acknowledge that she had responded to his touch, she vowed never to allow him near her again. She would see him Friday night only because circumstances forced her to, and after that he could fall off the ends of the Earth, for all she cared. She hated him. She despised him.
CC wondered for only a brief instant if there was any possible way she could use her knowledge of his activities against him, but she knew the answer even as she thought about it. There was no way she could confess to her father the truth of his double-dealings without revealing to him her own involvement. Caught in a web of intrigue, she knew she had to remain silent.
Clutching her pillow to her breast, CC hugged it tightly and sighed. If she could just make it through the ball Friday night, she would probably never have to see Lord Noah Kincade again. Yawning, she closed her eyes and, after lying quietly for a long time, finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
It was late, well after midnight, and Noah was frustrated in more ways than one as he sat alone in the taproom of the Red Lion Inn. Signaling Polly to bring him another tankard of ale, he accepted the mug of brew and was grateful when, after tossing her a coin in payment, she moved off to tend to her other duties, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Nothing had gone as he’d expected this evening. He had thought that his offer of arms would be snatched up eagerly by the insurgents, but they had hedged on making a firm commitment to him. He was now being forced to cool his heels while they bickered among themselves. He’d returned to the inn then, temporarily thwarted, but confident of ultimate success.
He held out small hope that Cecelia Demorest would be eagerly awaiting him in his bed, and he stifled a sardonic chuckle as he thought of her reaction to his advances. Her display of “maidenly” nervousness had not amused him and certainly hadn’t convinced him of her innocence. No, CC was definitely not the sweet little virgin her outraged actions would lead a lesser mortal to believe. She had definitely known what she was doing with that lovely body of hers, and he wondered just how she would react when they came face-to-face Friday night at the ball. His own body tensed in remembered excitement as he saw in his mind’s eyes her naked beauty, and Noah knew that there was still much unfinished between them. Friday night was definitely going to prove an interesting evening.
For a brief instant, Noah worried that CC might betray his business maneuverings to her father, but he knew she would keep silent. In betraying him, she would have to explain how she came about her knowledge of his activities, and there would be no way she could do it without revealing her own unsavory connections. Satisfied that he was safe from interference by agents of the Crown, he finished off his brew and headed for the stairs, intending to retire.
The light shining from under his bedroom door brought him up sharply in the hall, and Noah frowned. Had CC come to him? His breath quickened at the thought, but as he opened the door his excitement rapidly died. He had forgotten. Matthew was waiting for him.
“Well?” Matt stood as Noah entered the room, and he watched him expectantly. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” Noah was tired and in need of sleep and had no desire to discuss the meeting.
“Nothing?” He glanced at him in disbelief. “You’ve been gone all this time and you’re trying to tell me nothing happened?”
“That’s right. I made my offer, and the man I’m dealing with said that they needed to think it over…that they’d be in touch.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know,” he prompted. “There’s no reason why you have to be involved in the dirty side of things.”
Noah’s face was blank as he stared at his brother. “I’m not involved in anything. I’m merely trying to arrange a business transaction, and frankly, Matt, I’m not in the mood to debate the issue with you.”
“Then I’ll say good night,” Matt told him tersely as he made his exit. “I hope you sleep well.”
Though Matt meant his comment as a subtle curse in reference to the arms deal, Noah knew he wouldn’t be sleeping well; and it wouldn’t be because of the damned war supplies. He would find no rest this night, because the fire the damned Demorest vixen had stirred in his loins refused to abate. Every time he thought he had his desire under control, the memory of her luscious nakedness and wanton response to his lovemaking sent a shaft of pure excitement through him. Yes, he thought with some agony as he stretched out on the bed, he and Miss Demorest definitely had some unfinished business.
“Sir?” The woman’s soft call penetrated Noah’s thoughts and he rose quickly to open the door.
“Polly?” Noah was surprised by her presence.
Polly had sensed his need to be left alone when he was downstairs in the taproom, but her desire for another taste of his passionate possession had driven her to approach him.
“I was hoping you might be wanting me…” She was not quite as brazen as she had been the other night, for he had made no move to encourage her when she’d waited on him downstairs.
Noah stared down at her, taking in her warm expression and the supple curves of her rounded figure.
“Oh yes, Polly. I’m wanting you…” he growled as he drew her into the room.
Polly was thrilled to know that he did, and she wasted no time in coyness, quickly divesting herself of her restrictive garments.
“I’m glad I came to you.” She smiled at him invitingly when at last she stood before him in all her glory.
“So am I,” Noah admitted as he led her to the bed and followed her down upon its softness. “So am I.”