Iris Johansen - Dark Rider

Yet the smile she gave him at the end of the meal was as warm as sunlight. "Will you walk with me to my cabin? I would have words with you."

"We'll both go with you," Bradford said, pushing back his chair.

"No." She didn't look at him as she rose to her feet. "Stay and enjoy your brandy. It clearly means so much to you."

Bradford flinched. "Dismissed." He reached for the bottle. "Well, why not?"

Jared followed her from the cabin.

She looked up at the sky and drew a deep breath. "It's lovely, isn't it? It reminds me of the nights when I was a young girl, racing down the beach with my friends."

"Yes, lovely," he said absently. The night sky was clear, with no hint of last night's storm, and the motion of the sea as calm as the rocking of a baby's cradle. The stallion should be no problem tonight. Was Cassie down in the hold with Kapu now? Probably. She hadn't been there when he had gone to check on the horse earlier in the evening, but she couldn't stay away from the damned stallion.

Lani suddenly turned to him and asked bluntly, "What did you do to her last night?"

He went still. "I beg your pardon?"

"When Cassie came back to her cabin this morning, she was"-Lani hesitated-"different. Quiet. I don't know." She shook her head in frustration. "She wouldn't talk to me. She was not herself." She met his gaze. "I didn't like it. Cassie is my little sister. She thinks she's a woman, but she's still half child. I won't have her hurt."

He looked at her in astonishment. "Am I to assume you're asking my intentions?"

"No, I know your intentions. They are the same as all men. I'm merely telling you that on no account will I permit you to force her."

He stiffened. "I'm not in the habit of forcing women."

"I didn't think you were, but Cassie was very…" She trailed off and then said, "This is too perplexing. I had intentions of- I don't like being uncertain about things."

"You're not alone. I've not the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"You would have had a very clear idea by now if Cassie were not-" She broke off again, and her pace quickened the last few yards to her cabin. "Perhaps tomorrow…" The door of the cabin slammed behind her.

Jared stared at the door for an instant before he whirled on his heel and strode back toward his cabin. What in Hades was that all about? Lani was not a woman to be unsure about anything, but her conduct tonight had been hesitant in the extreme. Well, he had no patience with delving into another woman's vagaries when he had Cassie's tormenting him.

His pace slowed before he reached his cabin, his gaze on the door leading to the cargo hold. Should he go down and see her? Last night, he knew, she had been closer than she dreamed to surrender.

She was not herself.

I will not have her hurt.

Dammit, he had no intention of hurting her. He just wanted to- He would make sure she enjoyed it as much as he did. She wanted it. He was experienced enough to know when a woman was ready for him. It would not have been force.

Christ, why was he arguing with himself? He had spent a hellish night, tossing and turning, heavy and aching, after he had left her. Why not just go down and take what he wanted?

He took a half step forward and then stopped. It could be she wasn't even with Kapu. Lani had said she was weary. Perhaps it had not been the excuse he had thought it. The trials she had undergone during the past few days would have been wearing on anyone.

Softness again, he realized impatiently. The chit had him hesitating and caviling like a boy with his first mistress.

He turned back to his cabin. It would do no harm to let another day pass before he resumed the hunt. That wasn't quite true, he corrected himself ruefully as he threw open the door. He would no doubt spend another tormented night and would soon be cursing his decision and the foolish impulse that-

"Good evening." Cassie rose from the chair and faced him, a touch of bravado in her stance. "I thought you'd never come."

His eyes widened as he stood frozen in the doorway. "Good God."

She was barefoot, bare-breasted, and her hips were draped in the sarong she had worn the night he had met her. His gaze slowly moved over her, from flowing hair to pink-tipped breasts, and then lifted to her face. Her cheeks were burning with color, but her eyes met his with defiance.

"I've been waiting a long time," she said.

The sheer lust that tore through him was so violent, it shocked him. It was immediately followed by fierce triumph. By God, she was his .

He stepped into the cabin and closed the door. "But it's said all good things come to one who waits. I'll try to see if I can't reward you for your patience."

She had not felt naked until he walked into the cabin. Her breasts swelled as his glance touched them, and her knees felt weak as she stood before him. But she was not weak; she must show him only strength, or she would be lost. She took a deep breath to ease the tightness in her chest. "I'm not patient. I hated waiting for you."

"Well, I'm here now." He paused, his gaze wandering down to the sarong. "Kanoa, I presume? I know I said I detested that gown, but I'm surprised you went to such lengths to please me."

"I didn't wear this to please you, I did it to please me. I feel more comfortable in it." She lifted her chin. "What you want means nothing to me."

"Then why are you here?"

She moistened her lips. "Why do you think? I'm not the first island woman to come to your cabin."

"You're certainly the most interesting." He leaned back against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. "But I'd prefer you put it into words."

She couldn't say them. She had not thought it would be this difficult. She started across the cabin toward him. "To devil with words. You know why I'm here."

"You've decided to let me have you?" he asked softly.

"No." She stopped before him and stared directly into his eyes. "I've decided to use you."

His smile faded, and she thought she saw a flicker of anger in his expression. "I see. I suppose I should have expected that response. May I ask in exactly what manner?"

Her gaze went to the bunk. "It seems very clear."

"Nothing has ever been clear between us."

She drew a deep breath, then said in a rush, "I've reached the time when my body needs a man. You will do as well as anyone."

"Thank you," he said caustically. "How flattering."

She couldn't help it if he was displeased. It was his own fault; he had asked for an explanation. "I've thought about what you said. For some reason I find you…" She hesitated, searching for words. "You draw me. I cannot understand it."

"Oh, I can. I'm a very charming fellow."

"You're my father's enemy," she said flatly. "And my body should be more selective. But since it is not, then I must find a way to please both my body and my father's needs."

"Then, by all means, let me-" He smiled sardonically. "The temptation to lie to you is almost irresistible. I believe I must be more virtuous than Bradford thinks, or I wouldn't bother. If you think by playing Delilah I'll soften toward your father, you'll be disappointed. I'll be more than happy to please your body, but it won't change my intentions."

"Don't be ridiculous. First, you call me Lucrezia and then Delilah. I didn't poison you, and I wouldn't know how to go about playing Delilah. But Lani thinks-" She stopped.

"What does Lani think?"

She shrugged. "She thinks you're not as hard as you'd like to be. She says you might have second thoughts about killing Papa if-"

"If you couple with me?" he prompted.

"I told her it wouldn't do any good, but she thinks that you're-" She broke off again and gestured impatiently. "It doesn't matter what she thinks. I know you have no softness, but if I'm close to you, I'll still find a way to use you."