Bobbi Smith - Captive Pride

CC darted around the corner of the second-floor hall, out of sight of the lower level, and drew a deep, ragged breath. She had not thought that many people would be belowstairs in the taproom at this time of night, and she hoped no one had noticed her. Her breathing steadied, she moved on silent tread down the hall to the room she knew to be Noah’s.

All the way to the inn, she had debated with herself the best way to handle this, and she still had formulated no plan. Stiffening, she swallowed nervously and raised a hand to knock softly at the door. CC waited tensely for his answer to her summons, but none came. Inhaling deeply, she knocked again, this time with a little more force, but still there came no answering response. Annoyed, frustrated, and fearful of being discovered, CC knew she couldn’t stand in the middle of the hall forever. Boldly, she reached down and tried the doorknob, and to her surprise, it opened. She thought Kincade the fool for leaving his room unlocked, but at the same time thanked her lucky stars that it had been. Quietly, she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

The glow of the low-burning fire in the fireplace cast heavy shadows in the chilly chamber. With her hands on her hips, CC stood in the middle of the room, pondering what to do next. Obviously Noah had not yet returned to his room from the ball, and she couldn’t stop herself from wondering where he’d gone. Was it possible that he’d met Eve somewhere? The thought sent a shaft of pain through her heart, and she quickly put it from her, knowing it would do no good to dwell on such possibilities.

CC paced the room nervously like a caged beast as she tried to decide what to do. She had expected Noah to be here and now was at a loss as to her next move. What did a woman do when she was out to deliberately seduce a man? Should she approach it as a business arrangement or try a more subtle, more feminine tactic? Somehow, the feminine method seemed more likely to succeed. Noah had accused her the last time they were together of being less than womanly, and he had responded excitedly when she’d let her feelings for him run wild. Tonight, again, she would set aside her inhibitions and go to him as a warm and willing woman…a woman who wanted him and no other. That part of her plan did not trouble her, for it was the truth. What bothered her was the part after they had made love…the part where she would agree to be his wife if he would sell the arms to the rebels at a lower price. She hoped she could be convincing, and she hoped he really wanted her enough to go along with it.

A shudder of nervousness left her slender limbs quaking, but driven by her determination not to fail, CC pushed all negative thoughts away. A man’s lover, she decided, would no doubt greet him in bed. Hurriedly, she discarded her hat and stripped off her clothing. Pulling the pins from her hair, she combed her fingers through its silken length, letting it tumble to her shoulders in tousled disarray. The chill in the room was a frigid caress, and she was shivering as she slipped naked beneath the covers. CC was tense and more than a little frightened, for she wasn’t sure just how she would be received. The blankets pulled up to her chin, she lay huddled there in the darkness awaiting Noah’s return.

It was almost an hour later when CC heard the heavy sound of his footfalls in the hall, and she swallowed nervously at the sound of the door being opened. With all the bravado she could muster, she adjusted the blankets lower until they barely covered her bosom and then posed in what she hoped was a seductive position.

Noah had been drinking continually since he’d left the ball. He had hoped that the liquor would help him forget CC and all that had happened tonight, but instead of easing his worries, he’d become even more immersed in them. Angry with himself for still caring about the chit and missing Matthew more than he could ever admit, he entered his room in the lowest of moods, shutting and locking the door behind him.

“Noah…I’m so glad you’re here…” CC murmured seductively.

Her greeting stunned him, and he turned quickly from the door. Silence hung between them as he stared at her in disbelief. His mind reeled at the sight of her in his bed, willing. Mesmerized, a man possessed, he started toward her.

CC grew worried when Noah didn’t respond to her greeting, and she wet her lips nervously as she watched him slowly cross the room in her direction. His expression was unreadable in the semidarkness of the room. “Noah…I’ve been waiting for you,” she told him in a strained, husky voice.

Noah could not take his eyes off her as he moved ever closer. CC was here…in his bed…naked and obviously willing. She looked glorious. Her burnished hair was a cascade of caressing curls as it fell softly about her shoulders and lay teasingly against the curve of her blanket-covered bosom. Her expression was inviting, her lips moist and slightly parted as if ready to be possessed by his…

As much as Noah would have liked to cast aside his doubts and take his fullest enjoyment of CC, the cynic in him wondered at the reason for her being there. It was pleasant to think she had wanted him so badly that she was willing to risk everything to come to him, but Noah knew better. When last they’d parted, CC had made no secret of how she felt about him. She had refused his proposal. Noah seriously doubted that her passion was the driving force in her coming here tonight. Though his body was commanding him to take her and not question his good fortune, Noah felt sure that she had to have an ulterior motive.

“Noah?” CC was sounding more nervous now as he drew nearer. Desperately, she was wondering if she’d made a drastic mistake. Did he hate her now since she’d refused his offer of marriage? Would he welcome her or throw her bodily from his room? The latter had not occurred to CC before, and she knew a moment of panic at the thought.

Noah stopped beside the bed and let his gaze roam over her. CC was the one woman he wanted. Still, skeptic that he was, he was not going to allow himself to have her until he knew the truth behind her presence. He would play along with her game for a little while, and then when the truth came out…Noah sat down and, without saying a word, took her in his arms and drew her near.

CC’s nervousness eased at the discovery that Noah was not angry about her being there, and she went into his embrace almost eagerly in her relief.

CC’s newfound submissiveness sent a shock of pure animal pleasure through Noah. He realized this response was what he had wanted from her since the beginning. He had wanted CC warm and willing and loving. His body responded heatedly to the difference, and his previous passion for her paled before the new emotion that surged through him. Noah recognized this emotion, yet fought against acknowledging it. He was shaken to the very core of his being by the unexpected discovery, and his mouth sought hers in a devastating exchange that left them both breathless and desiring more. With eager hands he pushed the blanket lower, baring the sweetness of her breasts to his gaze and caress. Noah pressed her back onto his bed, stripped the rest of the blanket from her, and followed her down onto the wide softness.

CC’s arms encircled Noah’s neck, drawing him to her, and she met him hungrily in another kiss, her small tongue darting boldly between his lips to duel erotically with his. As he lay fully upon her, the heat of his need pressed firmly against the soft flesh of her belly. She knew then that she had been fooling herself in thinking that she was doing this strictly for the revolution. She wanted Noah. She had never stopped wanting him and probably never would. He was the man she loved. She wanted to marry him and bear his children. The war supplies had merely been a justifiable reason to see him again, to love him and to share in the drugging glory of his passion.