don’t understand why white men become so excited when a
woman takes off her clothes. Indians are much more sensible.
They accept a naked body as a part of nature.“
She took off the camisole, revealing a glimpse of full,
heavy breasts crowned by pink areolas for only a tenth of a
second before she turned her back on him to lay the camisole
with the other garments on the bench. „Indian children run
naked unless the weather becomes cold.“ She quickly finished
disrobing. „Yet white children and even women are forced to
wear layers and layers of clothing and become smothered with
– “
„Turn around.“
She could feel the muscles of her spine stiffen with tension
and she forced herself to relax. Now she must face him and he
must see no weakness. She slowly turned and unconsciously
lifted her chin. „Yes?“
Nicholas hadn’t thought he could become more aroused,
but he now realized how mistaken he had been. The muscles
of his stomach twisted and he could feel his manhood thrust
against the material of his trousers as his gaze moved over her.
Why had he sat there in a torment of lust while she teased him
to this unbearable pitch? She had challenged him with her
body and those damn cool words that incited anger and desire
and jealousy until he thought he would go mad.
„Enough?“ she asked, lifting one winged brow. „I’m
getting chilly.“
„No, not enough.“ He wasn’t sure at that moment that he’d
ever get enough of looking at her. Lord, she was beautiful.
Golden rose-tipped breasts flowing to a narrow waist and then
to sweetly curving hips and 6rm buttocks. Shining ebony hair
streamed straight and silky to the middle of her back, and her
eyes were brilliantly alive, challenging his mind almost as
much as his body.
His gaze traveled down to linger on the soft thatch of hair
protecting her womanhood. The palms of his hands on the
arms of the chair began to tingle as he thought of rubbing them
against that soft nest and then parting her thighs and – „Come
here.“
„Why?“
He looked up impatiently. „My dear Silver, the reason
couldn’t be more obvious.“ He glanced down at his lower
body and made a face. „Oh, yes, very obvious.“
„Why?“ she repeated.
A muscle jerked in his cheek. „To consummate the fire
you’ve built so skillfully. I want to touch you.“
„But you can’t touch me.“ Her gray eyes met his with
absolutely no expression. „That wasn’t what I intended at all.“
His gaze narrowed on her face. „And just what did you
intend?“
„I wanted you to hurt.“ Her voice was suddenly fierce. „I
wanted you to want me as men always want women and not be
able to touch me.“
„The hell I won’t!“ His eyes were blazing with fury. „I’m
going to – “ He stopped. His promise to Mikhail. Dammit to
hell, his promise to Mikhail!
She nodded slowly, the faintest smile touching her lips.
„You will not do it because you promised your friend you
would not. You value your friend, and I think you’re a man
who also values your word. You were very foolish to tell me of
your promise.“
„You little she-cat,“ he said through clenche,d teeth. „I told
you that to make you feel more secure. I didn’t want you
frightened of me.“
„I wasn’t frightened.“ Her eyes blazed back at him. „I was
angry. You forced me to come here against my will. Did you
care that I have my own life to live? There are things I must
do. The circus is leaving soon and I – “
He stiffened. „How unfortunate that you’ll have to live
without the embrace of your lover.“
„My lover?“ She shrugged impatiently. „All you can think
of is…“ Her gaze moved significantly down his body and
rested with satisfaction on the hard column outlined beneath
his tight trousers. „But that’s what I want you to think of
tonight and every night we are together.“ She whirled on her
heel, her hair flying wildly about her silken nudity, and
crossed the few paces to the bed. She brushed the sheer batiste
bed curtains aside, jerked the peach-colored spread down, and
slipped into bed. She glared at him across the room. „I told
you I would punish you.“
He could feel the fury surging through him, blinding, hot,
breathtaking. Anger almost as intense as the desire that was a
jagged torment in his body. He slowly stood up and moved
deliberately across the room. „What a vengeful little bitch you
are,“ he said softly. „I thought I had learned all the wicked
little tricks a woman could find to torture a man. I was
wrong.“ He stood over her, his gaze meeting her own. „I
supposed I should have expected that you would be especially
well versed in such arts. I’ve heard that savages were skillful
in the ways of torture.“
She flinched. „We are, but we acquired most of our
knowledge from the white man. We never flaunted killing until
they taught us how to scalp and count coup. How many scalps
have you hung at your belt, Nicholas?“
„I’ve never counted.“ His hand suddenly tangled in her hair
and jerked her head back. „But I believe I’m about to start.“
She stared back at him fearlessly. „No, you won’t. You’re
like most men who have honor toward men and not toward
women. You won’t break your promise.“
He gazed down at her for a long moment, his chest moving
harshly with the force of his breathing. Then, slowly, finger by
finger, he, released her hair. He straightened, moving jerkily,
as if his every muscle was atrophied by age. He closed his
eyes. „No, I’ll not break my promise, damn you!“
His hair was tousled gold in the lamplight, his nostrils
flaring with each breath, his bronze skin pulled tight over the
broad bones of his cheeks. She had a fleeting memory of the
first moment she had seen him, when she had thought he
looked like a sensual Apollo, that resemblance was even more
pronounced now. He was a deity burning, Apollo in a fever of
passion. A woman would have had to be made of ice not to be
stirred by Nicholas Savron in that moment. Ice, Silver prayed
desperately. She must be ice.
His eyes flicked open and he smiled down at her. Surprise
rippled through her. His smile was almost… loving. „A
challenge?“ His voice was velvet soft.
„No!“ she protested.
„I think you lie. Silver.“ One finger gently touched her
cheek. „I think you’re a woman who must always have a
challenge. Well, I intend to accommodate you. I won’t force
you. I won’t even touch you without your permission.“ His
finger trailed lazily down her cheek to the corner of her mouth.
„Until you ask me to sheath myself in you and give you what
you want,“ I won t –
„You will.“ His lids half veiled the gleaming darkness of
his eyes. „Because you didn’t count on one thing. Your body.
That very lovely body that wants me just as much as I want it.
I knew the first moment I saw you that you were a very
sensual lady. If I’m in pain, then you’ll be in pain too.“ His
finger slid down to the hollow of her throat. His smile
deepened as he felt the sudden leap of her heart. „You see?“
„I see nothing.“ In spite of her effort, the words held a
slight quaver.
His hand dropped away from her throat. „And to think I
believed you were an honest woman,“ he said mockingly. He
turned and strolled to the door he had told her led to the grand
saloon. He paused with a hand on the doorknob to look back at