Wild Lilly (27 page)

“Paul, I forgot to tell you. I’m throwing a costume ball tomorrow night in honor of your engagement,” Catherine said lightly as she watched the grooms.

“You’re
what
? Aww, Cat, you know I hate those kinds of things.” Despite his flippant tone, Lilly felt Paul tense behind her.

“Oh, I know. But I also know this is probably the only chance that Lilly will get to see those lovely dance skills Mother taught you.” Catherine gave Paul an impish smile. Gone was the elegant lady of the house. In her place stood a bratty sister. “Besides, everyone is pressuring me to return to the social circuit. It’s past time to end my mourning and this is the perfect excuse.”

“We didn’t bring any costumes with us. What are we going to wear?” Paul grumped as Lilly slid an arm around his trim waist. He was cute when he complained.

“I have some ready for you and your guest.” Catherine’s smile was as sweet as sugar.

A loud whinny came from the corral. A groom flew off Merlin’s back and across the dirt with a groan. His partner dragged him away and over the fence before the horse’s hooves stamped him.

“Darn it!” Catherine smacked the wooden boards of the fence with her closed fist. “If I can’t get him broken soon, I’ll have to sell him. He’s too wild now to stud out to the mares.”

“I can break him.” Sleeping Bear’s low voice rumbled from behind them.

Catherine darted a glance at him, and back out at the chestnut stallion tossing his mane. “With all due respect, if my professional grooms cannot handle him, I don’t think you can.”

Paul laughed as he held Lilly. “I wouldn’t bet on that, Cat. You’ve never seen the Comanche ride. They don’t even use saddles, just blankets.”

Catherine tapped her lip with one finger, considering Sleeping Bear. “No. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

Sleeping Bear’s lips quirked into a smile, the first bit of expression he had shown since arriving in Boston. He began to pull off his suit jacket and unbutton his vest.

Catherine looked scandalized as roses bloomed on her alabaster cheeks. “What are you doing?”

Paul took Sleeping Bear’s jacket with a devilish grin as Lilly laughed behind her hand.

“I don’t want to get my clothes dirty,” Sleeping Bear said in a mild voice.

When he was clad in only his charcoal-black pants and white shirt, he vaulted over the fence. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, revealing the smooth muscles of his big forearms. Slowly he walked toward the stallion, his gait easy and confident.

“He is going to get himself killed,” Catherine hissed, gripping the fence with both hands.

“I’m telling you, Cat, he’ll be fine. Just watch.”

Sleeping Bear began to croon to Merlin in Comanche and held out his hands in front of him.

“What’s he saying,” Catherine asked in a whisper. The other grooms had come out of the stables and gathered at the fence. Some watched with curiosity, others with disdain.

“How do I know? I don’t speak Comanche. Now hush and watch.”

The reins dangled down, and Sleeping Bear slowly eased his hand over the smooth muscle of the stallion’s shoulder. Merlin twitched his withers, but held still. With a swift leap, Sleeping Bear was on the horse’s back so fast it didn’t react at first.

Two seconds later, Sleeping Bear let out a war whoop that made the hair on Lilly’s arms stand up. The stallion sprang into motion, hindquarters twisting and bucking, angry snorts streaming from his nose. Sleeping Bear tightened his powerful thighs and held on, his body moving with every buck and twist. The horse soon calmed, and he and Sleeping Bear moved in perfect rhythm as they raced around the corral.

“Amazing,” Catherine breathed, her eyes locked on the battle of wills.

The pair rocked and fought around the end of the corral. Ten minutes later, both man and horse were covered in sweat. Sleeping Bear was smiling as he ran a hand down the side of the horse’s neck, leaning over to speak low into the stallion’s ear. The grooms began to applaud and Lilly and Paul joined them. Paul gave her a wink and she grinned back at him. They were both proud of their friend.

Catherine stood there with her mouth hanging open, saying repeatedly in a low voice, “That’s the damndest thing.”

Sleeping Bear turned the horse in an easy walk over to the fence, dismounting and handing the reins to a waiting groom. He blew in the horse’s nose and gave it a final soft word in Comanche. His white shirt hung transparent in places, stuck to the heavy muscles of his shoulders and chest. Bits of the geometric tattoo showed through the wet fabric and his muscles bunched as he vaulted back over the fence.

“What is that?” Catherine asked, pointed to Sleeping Bear’s chest.

He locked eyes with her and began to unbutton his shirt. Paul twitched as if he were going to say something when Lilly stepped on his foot with an innocent smile. He narrowed his eyes but held his tongue.

Lilly watched Catherine as Sleeping Bear pulled his shirt off, every inch the proud Comanche warrior. Catherine’s cheeks flooded with pink and her eyes grew wide, drinking in the sight of his impressive body.

“These are the markings of my people. Each one I received after a different battle.” Sleeping Bear lifted his long hair off his shoulder and pointed to his rock-hard bicep. “This is from a raid on an Apache tribe before our peace agreement.”

“Oh,” Catherine said faintly, her hand twitching at her side as she almost reached to touch Sleeping Bear’s chest.

Lilly pulled Paul over toward the stables and he glowered at her. “Am I crazy, or is Sleeping Bear trying to seduce my sister?”

She ran a soothing hand down his arm. “I think he likes her. He certainly tried to show off by breaking that horse.”

He looked back over his shoulder with a grim expression tightening his jaw. “He better stay away from her. She doesn’t need the scandal of being accused of sleeping with a savage.”

“Paul!” Lilly’s whisper was shocked.

“Lilly, it’s the truth. Catherine moves in a different social circle than we do. A very unforgiving one. Any hint of scandal and the people she calls friends today will happy cut her to bits with gossip tomorrow.”

She rested her head on his arm as they walked back toward the house. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Her heart hurt for Catherine and Sleeping Bear. She realized that despite the obstacles that she and Paul faced, they had it easy compared to those two. It made her immensely grateful for the gift of Paul’s selfless love.

He stroked a hand down her cheek. “I know. I want my sister to find happiness again too, but it’ll never be with someone like Sleeping Bear.” His pale blue eyes grew fierce and he said in a harsh whisper, “It would have been better if they’d never met. All that’s going to come from this is heartbreak. Better to end it now than to draw out something that can never happen. They’re just too different.”

The vehemence of his words struck her and she searched his face. “Look how different we are, Paul. Yet, we defied the odds and found love.”

He closed his eyes and gently kissed the freckles on her nose. Looping her arm through his, he led them back to the house.

She sighed as they drew closer to the wide patio leading to the back of the mansion. He felt good next to her, and it had been so long since they had a moment alone together. She loved her family, but her three sisters, their husbands, and her ten nieces really didn’t leave any room for intimacy.

A quick glance around showed no one following them, and she tugged Paul toward a small stone path leading deeper into the forest.

“Where are we going,” he asked as she practically ran down the path. The sounds of the stables faded and were soon replaced by the deep hush of the woods. Tall pine trees stretched overhead and she took another side path, this one just dirt instead of stone. They came to a light granite bench overlooking a large meadow. The trees in the distance blazed with color and the air held a bit of warmth.

He turned her and she attacked him, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him with all of her pent-up frustration. He returned her passion and she stroked her hands against his face. If they had a million years, she would never grow tired of making love to Paul.

***

Cìarán and Estrella crept toward Paul and Lilly, taking refuge behind a holly bush. This might be the perfect time to grab her. He had come there to check out the servants and map out the mansion, but the sight of Lilly and Paul running off into the grounds was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Through the dark, glossy leaves, he watched Lilly throw herself into Paul’s arms. Next to him, Estrella went stiff and he locked a hand onto her wrist. Dressed in a black shirt and a pair of his baggy trousers, she yanked her hand out from his and bared her teeth. Over the past few days, Estrella has slipped up enough for him to figure out what was really going on.

Lee Krisp planned on killing Lilly after he got her land. He didn’t know how, but he was pretty sure Estrella planned on rescuing her, despite the fact she didn’t like the other woman one bit. Watching her now, he thought Paul was to blame for that. His own bite of jealousy surprised him at the thought of Estrella in Paul’s arms.

Fierce, intelligent, and the most sensual creature he had ever met, Estrella brought light to his dark existence. He needed to find out what Lee was holding over her head to get her to do this. It didn’t help matters that she viewed him as the enemy. Her lips parted slightly as she watched Paul and Lilly kiss, and it gave Cìarán an idea.

Pulling a resisting Estrella close, he whispered in her ear. “We have to stay still until they are done. If we move, we’ll be exposed and all of our plans will be ruined.”

Licking her lips, she whispered back, “This is obscene.”

He moved even closer so his mustache tickled the delicate shell of her ear. “No, interrupting them would be obscene.” He dropped his arm, but kept his thigh pressed next to Estrella’s as they watched the lovers.

Lilly’s passion surprised him. He would have pegged her as one of the polite society women that just laid back and let the man do all the work. Instead, her small hands were trying to strip Paul’s clothes off as fast as they could.

The plotters could hear Paul laugh against her lips. “Slow down, I want to savor you.”

She pouted up at him, her lips pink from being kissed. “Paul, it’s been so long—”

Paul picked her up and set her on the stone bench, kneeling in front of her. He slowly hiked her skirts and petticoats about her hips, and pulled her bloomers down. Her golden curls on her mound shone in the sun, and her long legs spread to reveal a moist pink pussy.

Cìarán grit his teeth and shifted as his cock grew stiff. All that delicious softness next to and before him, but he couldn’t touch either of them. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Estrella’s nipples stuck out, hard and erect, from the thin cotton of her shirt.

“Touch yourself for me, love.” Paul stood and walked back, stroking himself through his pants as he watched her.

Lilly blushed prettily and her freckles stood out against her cheeks. A hesitant hand reached down and lightly traced over her labia. Cìarán’s nostrils flared, as he hoped to catch the scent of her musk on the breeze.

Paul coaxed her some more. “Stroke your pussy and pretend it’s my tongue, tasting you.”

Tossing her head back, she ran her slender fingers down her slit, parting it and revealing the glistening pink. Her bud was swollen and she gasped as her fingers ran over it.

Trying not to break the spell that the lovers had on Estrella, he attempted to shift his now erect and rock-hard cock into a more comfortable position. He pretended not to notice Estrella watching him with half-lidded dark eyes. God must have given him the patience of a saint because the passion he saw in Estrella’s gaze made his cock ache even more.

Paul was faring no better. His voice was increasingly rough. “Pinch your nub for me.”

Lilly blinked passion-glazed eyes at him and very slowly ran her fingers up over her slit, using her other hand to spread her lips, and gently squeezed her clit between the tips of her fingers. Cìarán imagined what it would be like to have Lilly’s delicate muscles firm around his cock.

Watching Paul, Lilly brought her fingers to her mouth and licked and sucked them. Paul’s growl filled the glade and he jerked her to her feet. Placing her hands on the back of the bench, he threw her skirts up, revealing long legs encased in boots, and the sweet little pucker of her pink anus.

Cìarán licked the sweat off his upper lip as he stared at her exposed bottom. He always loved teaching a woman about that sinful pleasure, and he imagined the noises she would make if he were to lick his tongue over that forbidden entrance. Paul, too, took a moment to appreciate the view, running his hands over her smooth hips as she arched back against him.

“Please,” she gasped in need.

Estrella shifted next to him and he watched her thighs press together. Was the delicate skin between her thighs wet and willing? He wondered what she would taste like, if she enjoyed the spice of submission and pain. Of its own accord, his hand rested on her firm, warm thigh. She glanced over at him, but he pretended not to notice. Instead of removing his hand, her legs gently parted in a silent invitation.