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“They’ll say you’re a brute,” she whispered back.
His plan was not working. Though he was certainly prepared to whip her—and suspected she’d land herself over his knee before the week was out—this strategy wouldn’t be as effective given the next leg of their journey. He tried a different tactic.
Reaching a hand out, he gently encircled her neck and drew her close to him. He might’ve been rough with her, but women were not immune to his seduction. He flexed his fingers on the back of her neck, massaging, as he whispered in his deepest voice, “Aida, we got off on the wrong foot. I spanked you for defyin’ me, and I’ll do it again if I have to. But I don’t want to punish you.” It was a lie. His cock twitched with the mere thought of taking his hand to her bare bottom. “But you must obey me for your own good.” His voice dropped lower. “You’ve had a long day, darlin’. You be a good girl now, and do as you’re told. You may even find if you obey me, I treat good girls very nicely.”
He could see her begin to soften when her breath became more shallow and her eyelids fluttered. Still, she pursed her lips as she glared at him. “Fine,” she hissed.
He tsk-tsked. “Try again, darlin’.”
She closed her eyes, inhaled, then blurted out, “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl,” he crooned. “Now strip.” The last command was said low, not forcefully, but in a way that commanded her attention.
She glanced nervously around her, stood and walked to a nearby tree. Hurriedly, she stripped her clothing until she stood near him wearing nothing but her chemise. He’d already assembled their bedroll, and while she’d prepared herself, he’d removed his boots, belt, and Stetson. A few minutes later, he lifted the blanket and gestured for her to join him.
“Come, now,” he ordered.
She closed her eyes briefly before she obeyed. As she lay beside him, she was rigid, holding her body apart from him as best as she could in their confined quarters.
“Relax now, honey,” he said. “We got off to a rough start, but you’ll see I’m not all that bad if you can trust me. Relax. I promise I won’t take advantage of you.”
He smoothed a hand over her hip, soothing, ignoring the uncomfortable tightening in his pants. If his plan was going to work, she’d have to trust him. “I’ll not hurt you,” he said. “That’s not my style. I don’t enjoy taking advantage of women against their will.” That was his brother’s specialty, and partly why Aida was sharing his bedroll. “Sleep now, honey.”
So far, he’d shown her he was a man of his word. He’d done what he said, every time. And yes, he’d been rough and he’d spanked her. He would do it again if he had to. But if he could only get her to trust him…
He lifted a hand and ever so gently trailed his fingers through her hair, starting at the scalp and carefully moving down to her neck. At first, she tensed, but he whispered, “Shhh. You’ve had a rough day. You relax now,” moving his hands through her hair over and over again. After a time, he rested his hand back on her hip, a gesture of protection and comfort. Finally, the tension seeped out of her shoulders. Her body relaxed against his, and moments later, he heard her steady breathing. She was asleep.
He smiled to himself. He was good at this, so good he almost believed it himself.
Chapter Seven
Courage is knowing what not to fear. ? Plato
Aida woke at the crack of dawn, Cole’s hand still resting upon her hip. She’d never been touched by a man like this before, and she hated that her body betrayed her. She wanted to despise the man who’d taken her and whipped her. But despite her best effort to do so, he kept making her change her mind. It wasn’t fair.
The way his voice had soothed her, low and commanding but not overbearing, had made her body relax despite her best effort not to fall for his seduction. She’d wanted to hate his hand stroking through her hair, but her body had had other ideas. He was so strong and handsome, and she had never known the touch of a man like him before. She’d ignored the voice in her mind that had warned her against trusting him and had reveled in the peace she felt. And she had been exhausted. She’d felt his hardness against her backside as they lay together, but the fact that his hand had never moved beyond her hip, never grasped her breasts or touched between her legs, somehow convinced her that maybe he really wasn’t a vicious or loathsome man. There were others in their party who were vicious. But perhaps he wasn’t one of them. He was feared. He was the leader.
Though Cole had taken her, he’d said it was to teach her father a lesson. And didn’t her father need a lesson! The mere thought of her father getting a taste of what he deserved thrilled her. And though Cole had whipped her, he’d defended her against his brother, and killed a man who had threatened to hurt Patricia.
Maybe Cole wasn’t all that bad.
As she struggled with her conscience, her mind went back to something Lucille had once told her. “Sometimes those who should love us don’t. And those who shouldn’t do.” What a strange thing to think, she thought to herself, pursing her lips. Cole certainly didn’t love her. He very likely hated her.
Cole’s hand flexed on her hip. “You awake, Aida?” he asked.
Shifting away from him, she sat up. “Yes,” she said shortly. Her stomach rolled with hunger. Her eyes were gritty with sleep, and she was in desperate need of a bath. How she missed the claw-footed bath at home, her thick slab of fragrant soap, her ivory-handled comb and mirror. If she got out of this unscathed, she’d never take her pampering for granted again. All she needed was a hot bath and a clean dress. She’d have neither.
“Up we go, then. Go get dressed,” Cole ordered, as if she really needed direction. Now that the others were rising, the first thing she needed to do was get dressed and ready.
Scrambling out of the bedroll, she grabbed the folded clothing she’d left nearby. As she lifted her clothes, something skittered across her hand. She let out a scream that could be heard for miles. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she grew faint from fright. An enormous spider had climbed atop her clothing and was scrambling over her. Cole wasted no time. He slapped his hand out, the spider falling to the ground, as he lifted his boot and crushed it.
“You see that red dot?” he said grimly. “Poisonous. Otherwise I’d not have killed it.”
She barely heard his words, though, as her eyes were clamped shut, the blood ringing in her ears. She hated spiders. Always had, always would. She was terrified of their creepy-crawly legs, pincers, and mouths, and never could even summon neutral appreciation for the tamest. She hated all manner of spider. She swayed, her legs wobbling beneath her, still feeling the shock of terror and fear shoot tremors through her body. She was vaguely aware of Cole coming closer, as she swallowed hard to avoid crying. Crying over the spider would be embarrassing, though her throat was tight and her nose stung. To her surprise, she felt Cole’s arms wrap around her.
“You all right, sweetheart?” he asked in her ear. She merely shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. He pulled her to his chest, and though she wanted to protest, she did not. He was strong, and despite being on the trail, he smelled nice, the sweet, pungent scent of tobacco mingling with leather. She’d never been held like this, in the arms of a strong man, and it was not unpleasant. He gently placed a kiss atop her head.
“You’re gonna be okay there, pretty girl. The spider’s gone and I’m here.”
