LoverforRansom (8 page)

The split-second look had been filled with meaning—and with
the shared memory of the poem he’d read to her.

She delicately cleared her throat and dabbed at her lips
with her napkin. Images of what had transpired between them earlier assailed
her. A tendril of desire unfurled. Her stomach tightened and the flesh between
her legs warmed.

“Perhaps, then, you can read to your brother,” she told
Jenny.

At that, Jenny’s face brightened.

“I’d like that myself,” the elder Mr. Byrne said and winked
at Cathleen.

Sally began clearing the plates and everyone stood to retire
to the parlor.

“Might I have a word with you, Miss Ryan?” Ransom asked
softly.

“Of course,” she squeaked. Panic spread through her like an
out-of-control fire. Did he intend to admonish her?

As the others moved toward the parlor, Cathleen followed
Ransom out the back door and onto the veranda. He produced her spectacles and
placed them in her hand.

“Thank you,” she said, some of her anxiety dissipating. Her
heart flew when his skin made contact with hers. Some sort of invisible
connection pulled her magnetically toward him and she resisted it with all her
might.

Her stays suddenly seemed too tight. Her bottom tingled with
the desire to be smacked soundly once more.

“I really am sorry,” he murmured.

“I’m not,” she blurted.

A hard light flashed in his eyes.

Cathleen tamped down sheer terror. “I’m not sorry. I…I
wouldn’t be opposed to…to more.”

He blew out a breath. “Miss Ryan…Cathleen…I don’t want you
to get the wrong idea about me.”

“I was not under the impression I had the wrong idea.”

He let out a laugh. The sound of it resonated through her
body, caressing her insides like a warm drink on a cold day.

“I’m not looking for a wife,” he stated plainly.

“And I’m not looking to become a wife,” she said. Why did
she feel as if her heart were going to drum its way out of her chest? “I meant
what I said about marriage…and
sex
.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“I understand that you don’t wish to marry. Neither do I.
That’s why I think we would make perfect lovers.” She stared so there’d be no
mistaking her sincerity.

“I’m not looking for a lover either,” he said, and leaned
casually against one of the whitewashed columns. His eyes told her he had all
the lovers he wanted and then some.

She wanted to state that she was positive he had many at his
disposal in that regard. She judiciously didn’t.

His eyes grew flinty. “I don’t want you to mistake
our…encounter for something it was clearly not, Cathleen.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

He glanced at his hand that rested on the column and then
back at her. “I don’t want you… Let me rephrase that. As your employer, I don’t
want you attempting to start some sort of a rebellion in town.”

“Rebellion?”

“Uprising, temperance league, whatever you want to call it.
For Jenny’s sake, don’t let it happen again.”

“Mr. Byrne!” she exclaimed. “Are you belittling the cause
which is so dear to my heart?”

“I’m not belittling anything. I hired you to be a teacher
for my sister. You can hardly do that properly while inciting riots and
discourse in town.”

“Riots and discourse!”

He seemed exasperated. He stood tall and, once again,
Cathleen was struck by his sheer size. “You don’t know these people. You don’t
know how they believe. And you sure as hell don’t know how they’ll act if
you—an outsider
and
a Yankee—try to tell them they’re not living their
lives the way
you
think they ought to.”

“I merely intend to present the information and if—”

“The people here are still stinging from the war. It won’t
do for you to rub salt in that wound.”

“But—”

“The situation in the South is unstable at best, Cathleen.
There are men who’re taking the law into their own hands and meting out justice
as they see fit. It wouldn’t matter a hill of beans to any of them that you’re
a woman. They’d string you up and lash you same as they would anybody else they
didn’t think wasn’t acting right.”

She didn’t have a comeback.

He continued. “Trust me on this. Don’t be so all-fired
hardheaded.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’ll tell you what…” he said, and took a half step closer.

Warning bells went off in her head. Her skin prickled with
the heat that exuded from his body.

“If you’ll behave,” he began. “If you’ll promise to teach my
sister and refrain from any more…equality speeches, I will…
entertain
your desires.”

Her breath froze in her lungs. Her lips parted. She gaped at
him.

“So long as no one knows about it,” he added.

She still couldn’t form words.

“And as long as you don’t expect me to…to tarnish you. I’m
not in the business of deflowering virgins.”

She nodded dumbly.

“Can you abide by that?”

Again, she wagged her head up and down.

He laughed. “Who would have ever imagined it? Cathleen Ryan
at a loss for words.”

“Tonight?” she piped.

“As long as everyone is in bed asleep. Be cautious and
vigilant.”

She offered to shake hands with him. He chuckled before
hauling her close and pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

It only lasted an instant, but when he released her, she
reeled backward two steps and clapped her hand over her thudding heart as he
walked away.

Weak-kneed, she dropped into one of the rockers. “Jesus,
Mary and Joseph.”

Ransom wasn’t surprised when he heard a timid knock at the
door. “Come in, Cathleen,” he called from his chair.

The hinges groaned as she stepped into the front hall. He
drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, peeved at the way his cock jolted
in his breeches.

She stepped out of the shadows and the sight of her stunned
him. Her hair was loose and tumbling about her shoulders. Her cheeks were pink
from the effort of her trek here. She wore nothing but her thin cotton
nightgown and a matching dressing gown. Her shoulders rose and fell with deep
breaths that made the points of her nipples visible beneath the fabric.

A smile tugged at one side of his mouth. Earlier, he’d
chided himself for making such an inane arrangement. But now…

He stood. “My bedroom is in there.” He gestured toward the
open door. “Go inside and remove your clothing. Everything. I want you naked.”

Fear flashed in her eyes, but quickly transformed into eager
expectation before she turned and padded into his room.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
Fool! What in
the hell am I doing?
This was going to end in disaster. He knew it as well
as he knew his own name.

Steeling himself, he stepped into the room, only to stop
short when he saw her naked as commanded—but bending over the side of the bed
with her lovely backside turned up.

Two plump lips beckoned him. God, he wanted to fuck her. How
would he ever resist?

If he hadn’t learned—literally firsthand—that she was an
untried virgin, he would have thought her a liar.

He’d intended to taste her, to let her do the same for him.
“What on earth is this?”

Biting her bottom lip, she looked at him over her shoulder.
“I’m not sure I want to be spanked as hard this time.”

“Spanked?” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I wasn’t
going to
spank
you.”

“You’re not?” She seemed disappointed.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her beautiful form and the way
the lights and shadows played on her curves and highlighted a glistening drop
of dampness in the curls between her thighs. His fingers curled into a loose
fist.

“Of course not,” he told her.

She stood and blinked owlishly. “But…but I…that’s what I…
enjoyed
the most.”

The spanking had provoked her into kissing him and more. But
liking that
most
? He still couldn’t get over it. He drew in a deep
breath and let it out slowly.

She nodded. “Would you? Please?” She bent again.

“Cathleen, are you sure?”

“Very sure.”

His cock had grown ramrod hard. He swallowed and closed the
distance between them and skimmed his palm down her narrow back, over her
rounded hip. Her fists tightened and her muscles grew taut. A shudder rippled
through the soft flesh of her ass.

He couldn’t keep his hands off her.
No man has ever
touched her, save me. No one else has felt this velvety skin, or caressed the
silken strands of her hair.
She sighed in pleasure as he twisted her hair
around his fist and gave it a slight tug. He anchored her in place with a firm
hold on her hair, lifting her head off the bed, causing her back to dip and her
bottom to raise. Her feet inched apart.

He slid his palm over the rounded curve of her bottom,
teasing his fingers through her cleft, testing. He drew in a sharp breath. She
was soaking wet.

A strangled sound left her lips. He tugged her hair a little
harder. She wanted to be dominated, and by God, he was the man who could do it.

Smack!

The force of the blow caused the breath to leave her lungs
on one harsh rush. He rubbed the offended spot, waiting for a protest that
never came.

He delivered a second solid whack. At that point, something
dark and erotic overtook him. He doubted he’d be able to keep from fucking her.
If she escaped with her virginity intact, it’d be a damn miracle. “Is that what
you want?” he asked, shocked at how gravelly his voice came out.

“Yes,” she cried. “Again!”

Maintaining his hold on her hair, he stepped to the side and
smacked her already rosy flesh several times in swift succession.

She moaned. Dampness glistened on the inside of her thigh.
He delved between her legs and stroked, burrowing through the slippery folds,
threatening entry to not one but both orifices with his insistent fingertips.

She tensed but he knew without a doubt, she’d let him do
anything he wanted with her. Anywhere he wanted.

Before she could take her next breath, he scooped her up,
flipped her over onto her back and moved between her legs. He spread her thighs
as wide as they would go and gazed down at the nest of wet black curls in
striking contrast to flawless ivory skin.

Instinctively, her hands flew to her breasts. She covered
them, but couldn’t prevent him looking at her thatch.

His gaze flicked to hers. “I’m going to kiss you.” He raked
the back of his knuckles against her folds. “Here.”

She whimpered as he brushed her hands away from her breasts
then bent to devour one peak. Her nipple was hard against the roof of his
mouth. He sucked and swept his tongue around the tip before moving to the other
one to lave it as well. Her fingers tangled into his hair to hold his head in
place. Her back arched and she pushed her breast more fully into his mouth. She
writhed and draped one leg around his torso.

He’d been with his share and more of women. But none of them
had ever responded so freely; so unapologetically willing to experience
pleasure. Not once had she shied away. He gazed into her eyes again, bemused by
the wonder and curiosity there, before he kissed a trail downward.

Her breathing hitched when he nuzzled the tuft of hair at
the juncture of her thighs. Her legs trembled as he inhaled the sweet, musky
fragrance of her cunny. Cupping her bottom, he tilted her hips up and traced
his tongue through her folds then around the ripe bud at their crown.

She moaned and shook as he closed his lips around her
clitoris and sucked gently. Nothing in the world gave him more pleasure than
tasting a woman intimately. Here, there was no hiding. She lay bared and open,
vulnerable. Her pleasure was in his hands—his mouth.

He explored the juicy crevice, dragging his tongue over her
peachy flesh, flicking, licking then latching onto her bud again. Her sharp
intake of breath told him all he needed to know. He’d found her sweet spot.

The muscles in her legs relaxed. Her fingers threaded into his
hair again and she tugged and caressed.

“Tell me how it feels,” he murmured against her crease.

“Good. It feels good,” she said breathlessly. “Very good. Oh
Ransom…”

The sound of his name on her lips sent a shockwave of
pleasure through him. He kissed his way back to her center and sucked, intent
on bringing her to bliss. Her back arched higher. Her knees raised. Her fingers
abandoned his hair for her own. Unchecked moans spilled from her lips. He held
her firmly, aware of every slight change in her reaction. Everything relaxed
and then suddenly grew taut again. She cried out and pressed herself tighter
against his mouth, grinding until her coarse curls chafed his chin.

Finally, she went limp. He stood and gazed down at her.
Naked and undone, she looked like a different person than that prim
schoolteacher he’d seen disembark the train.

Lazily, she opened her eyes and looked at him. “Won’t you
join with me?” she asked, reaching for him. “I want you inside me.”

His cock lurched. He could practically feel how her tight,
wet flesh would envelope him like a glove. He wanted her. He wanted her bad.

His stomach flipped. He’d never really denied a woman
before. He didn’t want to deny this one. But he knew himself well enough to
realize that if he took her—as he wanted to right this moment—guilt would eat
him alive.

Despite what she claimed, he knew that one day she’d find a
man with whom she wanted to create a home and marriage. It wouldn’t be right to
take away something the Almighty had intended she share with a husband.
Especially not when he, Ransom, was only involved for sexual gratification.

Her gaze flicked to his crotch and she reached for him.
There. His lashes fluttered, threatening to close as her palm pressed against
the shaft of his cock. “Have you ever touched a man this way before?” His voice
sounded strange. Husky.

“No,” she whispered, never dragging her eyes from where her
hand explored.

Without dislodging her fingers, he began unbuttoning his
fly. This was madness. He’d given her what she wanted. He ought to send her on
her way and take the matter into his hand before he did something he’d regret.

Instead, he parted his fly. His cock sprang free.

Her lips parted with a little gasp. Her tongue darted out to
dampen them. “Oh my,” she remarked.

Gratified by her reaction, a grin tugged at one corner of
his mouth. “Do you still want that inside you?” he asked.

She cleared her throat.

He chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”

“It’s just so…so…” Her chest rose and fell with short
breaths. “It would never fit.”

He inhaled. “I assure you it would,” he said, stepping
closer. “I’d make it fit.”

She whimpered as he climbed onto the bed, bracing his knees
apart and letting his cock jut threateningly toward her. “It’d fill you full,
stretch you and mold you and leave you with no doubt who’d claimed you.”

The muscles in her throat worked as she swallowed. He took
her hand, flirted with her fingers and guided them toward his flesh. She
dragged in a ragged breath as skin touched skin. He moved an inch closer and
moaned when her hand closed around him, gripping. Her touch ignited his lust,
threatening to turn him into an out-of-control beast incapable of restraint.

“Feel how hard I am for you?” he asked.

“Mmm.”

“Can you feel the blood beating through my veins?”

“Ransom…”

“Do you know how bad I want to fuck you right now?”

A little squeak emanated from her throat.

“Don’t pretend to be shocked,” he told her. “If you’re going
to behave like a scarlet woman, then do it with daring, darlin’.”

She nodded. “I want you.”

“Want me to what?” He was toying with her now, and he
relished the effect he had on her. “Say the word.” He cupped her face and
brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, imagining how erotic she would look as
those plush lips parted to admit the head of his rock-hard cock. “Say it.”

She whispered a kiss across the pad of his thumb. Her gaze
collided with his and locked. She no longer looked surprised or timid. Now her
face held the same determination it had possessed when she’d locked horns with
Aunt Chloe. “Fuck me.”

Everything inside him tightened to the snapping point. An
untried virgin. No one had ever touched her save him. She was his for the
taking. But…

His jaw clenched. Tension grabbed hold and refused to let
go. He’d never had qualms about taking what he wanted before.

But then again, never before had so much hung precariously
in the balance. Jenny. Cathleen’s reputation—not that she seemed to be too
concerned with it at the moment. His own damn conscience.

Shit.

He raked a hand through his hair. He was foolish to consider
claiming this woman. What if she fell for him? In spite of what she vowed?
Women were like that once they’d been bedded. If she fell for him, she’d only
end up hurt. He was incapable of giving her what she needed and
deserved—security, marriage, love.

He still intended to leave and did not plan to take anyone
with him.

Besides, this situation brought matters far too close to
home. It was best to keep her at somewhat of a distance.

He slid his hand behind her neck and drew her closer. “I
can’t fuck you. I won’t.”

Disappointment flashed in her eyes. Her bottom lip formed
the most beautiful pout he’d ever seen. “I need you, Ransom.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t satisfy you.”

The light returned to her features. “And what about
your
satisfaction?”

He urged her even closer. “Open your mouth, sweetheart.”

The glitter faded from her eyes and they turned a darker
shade of black. Her gaze darted to his cock and then back up. “Can I…can I do
the same for you?”

His answer was to rake the head of his penis along her lips
and then nudge the head between them. Her eyes closed as she opened, taking him
inside. At first she seemed tentative, but all at once, passion took over and
she gripped his thighs. She moved closer and tasted him with her tongue.

Desire rolled like thunder through his belly, exploding in
lightning bursts through the veins in his cock. His sac tightened as he
threaded his fingers into her hair to hold her captive. He knew he should be
still, that he should allow her to come to him, to explore, to learn. He
couldn’t. Need detonated, fueling him to gently thrust into the soft, wet heat.

His fingers trembled as she clutched tighter, as she sucked
harder. Her tongue rolled around the head, flicked down the length. Her breath
fanned him, tickled him.

“You feel so good,” he murmured, caressing her hair and her
neck. The slow, slick slide of her mouth along his cock fed his desire. With
other women this act was a prelude to something else. With Cathleen, it was
something more, but he couldn’t discern if his reaction stemmed from the idea
she’d never done this to another man or from the fact she was forbidden fruit.
And yet the impact was too much, too quick…

“Oh…” He moaned and gripped her shoulders, intent on
removing himself from her mouth before he erupted. Shit, he was about to lose…

Her fingers seized him and she held him close. Her mouth
took him ravenously, and he groaned as his orgasm gathered and exploded in one
forceful expulsion inside her willing mouth. She swallowed, the motion tugging
at him. Suddenly he was too sensitive. Her tongue lapped around his head,
sending jolts of devastating pleasure rippling through his abdomen.