Page 39 of The Copper Heir
“Because mistresses are biddable creatures and you aren’t biddable in the least.” He kissed her nose and then opened the door and walked forward so that she had no choice but to walk backwards into his room.
A lamp in his bedroom was lit so that enough light shone through for her to see the sitting room was very similar to her own. But she only got a quick glimpse of golden and cream furniture before he was walking her through the door to his bedroom. The same furniture met her there: a couple of upholstered chairs near the fireplace, two large armoires, but it all faded into the background as her legs pressed against the gold blanket thrown across the oversized bed. He grinned and brought his hands up to begin the buttons between her breasts.
“Do you want me biddable?”
He pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “Hell, no. I like you just the way you are.”
Something about the way he said that, so emphatically, made her happy. He really did seem to accept everything about her. His hands practically shook as he finished the buttons and parted the fabric to pull the dress off her shoulders. Her fingers came up to help, but he shook his head. “Let me do it. I like undressing you. It’s like unwrapping a present.” When his scorching gaze met hers, all the muscles deep in her body clenched.
Unbidden, she thought of how fleeting this moment was. It would be gone in an instant. True, she planned to spend as much time as she could in his bed, but soon she’d have to leave. He’d take her back to Ship and then she’d never see him again. Before she could stop it the thought made her sad. He must have seen it, because he paused and then he palmed her cheek. “Emmy?”
“What about when it comes time for me to go?”
That stopped him. Only their breaths filled the silence between them before he said, “I don’t want to let you go.” He spoke so vehemently.
“But how?”
“I don’t know.” The fierce look on his face made her heart skip a beat and then he was crushing her to him. “I don’t know. There has to be a way.”
Her hands pulled at the buttons on his shirt, tearing at it before he stepped back just enough to shrug out of it and pull off his boots. She kissed him as her fingers deftly unfastened his belt and then the buttons on his trousers, pushing them down his hips as her hands met his smooth skin. She didn’t believe him. Not for one moment did she think he would be able to avoid giving her back to Ship, or that he’d walk away from Cas, but it was lovely to know that he was trying to see a future for them.
For now that was enough.
Free of his clothing, he endeavored to free her of her own as well, but there was too much. In the end, her dress made it to the floor followed by her drawers. But the chemise, which she had borrowed from the armoire in her room, was some fancy contraption that was laced in the back and they couldn’t be bothered with that just yet. Instead, he pulled it down in front just enough to free her nipples, and a ribbon ripped, but it didn’t matter because he was following her down to the bed. His mouth found her nipple just as his fingers found her ready for him and she cried out at the double sensation of being suckled while being filled. And then he rose over her and his hard manhood replaced his fingers, nudging her before he slipped inside inch by precious inch to make sure she was ready.
“Hunter,” she cried in a hoarse whisper when he sank deeper, filling her completely. Gripping his shoulders, she pulled him down to her, unable to get enough of touching him. His mouthcovered hers, his tongue stroking deep as he withdrew just to drive home again. It was fast. The entire day had been building up to this moment when they were joined. Her fingers clawed at his hips to bring him back into her when he pulled away. His hands held her so tight she thought she might be bruised tomorrow, but it didn’t matter.
It was perfect. For one moment in her life, everything was as it should be. Then she was climaxing around him and he groaned her name as he found his own release within her. To her surprise, the perfect moment continued to last. It was still perfect as he placed small kisses to her chest and neck. It was still perfect as he moved just off of her and pulled her close. Even much later, when they were both naked and spent from their loving, everything was perfect as she closed her eyes and fell asleep. It was like she was living inside a beautiful dream and she never wanted to wake up.
Chapter Eighteen
Just over two weeks later and he still hadn’t figured out how to keep her. Hunter stared down at the empty tumbler cupped in his palm, Cas’s voice growing dimmer as his mind churned through the various options before he discarded them one by one. The past weeks with her had been idyllic, a word he would never had thought to use before, but there it was. It was the only way to describe their time together. He awoke each morning with her in his arms and from there they’d plan the day. Occasionally, he’d had to spend time in his study or out in the fields when a problem had come up with fencing or the cattle, but most of his days had been spent with Emmy and her sisters. He didn’t even mind that Rose and Ginny were around. He liked spending time with them. They were becoming the family he’d never had. The family that he’d never realized he wanted.
More than once he’d almost broached the subject of getting the children a tutor, but with their time so limited it seemed like a moot point. They would go back. They weren’t his. Theyhad a father and a home somewhere far away from Jameson Ranch, far away from him. Though this felt like their home now. The children had adapted to their circumstances extremely well, settling into a routine of play and learning about horses. Emmy had even begun coming to his study with him in the evenings, picking out books to read through while he worked. He’d noticed that she seemed to like the texts on Ancient Greece and Rome and had even imagined that he could take her to view the ruins. But he never voiced the offer because the future was so uncertain.
“So we head out tomorrow.” Cas raised his voice just enough to cut through the haze of Hunter’s misery and raised his brow in question.
“Train leaves in the afternoon at four.” Hunter shrugged out from under the weight of his morose thoughts and leaned forward to place his tumbler on the desk. “You’re sure he still has Miguel?”
Cas had arrived just as Hunter was settling into his study after dinner. He looked haggard and tired, like he’d ridden nonstop, and had brought the news that an arrangement had been made to meet Campbell and make the exchange.
“As sure as we can be.” Cas nodded. “He better be alive, Hunter.”
“He is,” Hunter reassured him, though he wasn’t entirely certain of that. Campbell couldn’t be that foolish; he’d evaded them for now, but it was only a matter of time before they tracked him down if something happened to the boy. “He’ll want his daughters returned.”
Two weeks seemed too short. He’d thought they would have had a month together, maybe a bit more. Before he could stop them, the words tore from his chest. “I don’t want to give her up, Cas.” He ran his hands through his hair and leaned forward, elbows lowered to the desk.
His brother’s face went still. “We don’t have a choice.”
“I know. I know that. I want Miguel back just as much as you do, but I don’t want to give her back.”
“Maybe just the sisters—”
“No!” Hunter cut his words off. “I don’t want any of them to go back. They’re not like Campbell.” His words trailed off as his mind began to race again. One answer stood out in front of all the others. He hadn’t wanted to give voice to it before because it had been so ridiculous, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted it. “I could marry her. If I married her I wouldn’t have to send her back. Campbell couldn’t demand it.”
“Married. Really?” Cas sat up straight, stunned.
“I know it sounds...”
