Dark Rider

Seven

Thunder. Closer. No longer a growl but a roar. Jared rolled over on his side to face the window next to his bunk, watching as a jagged bolt of lightning tore through the sky.

Dammit, he had hoped the storm would pass. He had no desire to go back down in that cargo hold and face Cassie Deville. He had wanted to distance himself, give himself time to rid his mind of the restraints Bradford had skillfully placed on him. If he went to her now, it would be again as a comrade sharing peril. He didn't want the blasted woman as a comrade-he wanted her in his bed.

Another lightning bolt lit the heavens.

He didn't have to go to her. She had assured him she could handle Kapu by herself.

The ship began to list as the wind quickened.

He could send one of the seamen to watch and make sure there was no real danger.

A crash of thunder shook the ship!

"Damnation!"

"No, boy, don't fight it. It will be gone soon." Cassie's arms tightened frantically around Kapu's neck. Dear heaven, how she had prayed the storm would be gone. Every crash of thunder was causing a ripple of panic to go through her.

Kapu tried to back away, his nostrils flaring as the ship dipped sharply. She followed, talking to him. Let him not rear or batter against the wall. "Easy. Just be calm. You know it will break my heart if you hurt yourself."

"Stand back from him."

Cassie looked over her shoulder to see Jared standing at the top of the steps in the open doorway. He was barefoot, his shirt buttoned only halfway, his hair wild and wind torn and his expression forbidding.

None of that made her fearful. She wasn't alone anymore. Jared had helped her save Kapu before- maybe he could again. "I can't stand back. He's afraid. He's calmer if I touch him."

Jared muttered a curse before battling the wind to jerk the door closed. A moment later he was in the stall, on the other side of Kapu. It was like the night they had brought Kapu on board. Surely, the result would be the same, she thought desperately; Kapu would quiet, and the danger would be over.

A crash of thunder!

Kapu reared straight up, taking her with him!

Jared tore her arms from the neck of the stallion and pushed her to one side. He jerked something from the waistband of his trousers and tossed it to her. "Cover his eyes."

Black cloth. She recognized the cravat he'd worn at supper. "Blindfold him?"

"He'll be able to hear and feel the pitch of the ship, but he won't be able to see his world topsy-turvy. Anything might help." He stepped closer beside the stallion. "Hurry!"

She moved in front of Kapu and inched closer. No thunder, she prayed; this pitching was bad enough. Just give me a few minutes more…

Kapu was backing away from her.

"Please…"

Was she pleading with God or Kapu? Jared was talking, too, stroking the stallion, trying to distract him.

It was no good, she realized in despair. It would never work this way.

She took a deep breath and jumped on his back!

"Christ!" she heard Jared cry out. "I didn't say to-"

"Be quiet." Her legs and arms held Kapu as she talked to him softly. Then she leaned forward and draped the cloth over Kapu's eyes. "Quick. Tie it."

Jared didn't argue. He had the cloth knotted in seconds.

Cassie held her breath, waiting.

Kapu half reared as he became aware of his blindness. He landed hard and tried to turn in a circle!

But Jared was there talking, stroking. Cassie held tight, hugging him close, glued to his back. Please, no thunder. Let him get used to the darkness.

The ship pitched and slid on the swells, but there was no thunder.

One minute. Two minutes. Every second was a gift.

Kapu was quieting, becoming accustomed to the darkness.

"Get off him." Jared's voice was still soft and soothing, but she was aware of the sharp wire of tension threading it. "Dammit, you don't mount a horse in the middle of a thunderstorm."

"I do." Her tone was as soft as his. "He likes to feel me on him. It helps. Now, stop telling me what I should do and keep talking to him."

"He doesn't know whether I'm talking to him or you."

"Of course he does."

Thunder.

Kapu reared straight up! Cassie's thighs tightened around him, her heart pounding. "We're here. Don't be afraid. We won't let anything happen to you."

He came down stiff-legged, the impact jarring. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to rear again or try to bolt.

He did neither. He stood there, trembling in every limb.

More thunder.

Miraculously, he stood still as they talked soothingly.

The first terror was over. She could feel the tears flowing down her cheeks. He was safe. Thank God.

The ship rode out the storm two hours later.

"Will you get down now?" Jared asked, pronouncing each word distinctly as the last thunder rolled into the distance.

"I don't know if I can," she said wearily. Every muscle was stiff and sore with the tension of the last hours.

Jared went around Kapu and lifted her off the stallion.

She held on to the horse's mane while she steadied herself. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're a madwoman." His eyes were blazing down at her. "I'll be surprised if you live to be twenty. You should never have gotten on him."

"But then we wouldn't have been able to blindfold him." She patted Kapu before burying her face in his mane. "You're a great deal of trouble, boy."

"Not nearly as much as his mistress."

She ignored the pang the jab brought. "How did you know a blindfold would help?"

"When I was a boy, I had a horse who was terrified of storms," he said as he pushed her away from the horse. "He's worked up a sweat. Sit while I rub him down."

"I can do it."

He glanced at her ruin of a gray gown. "I wouldn't think of having you become more bedraggled. We've already discussed how enchanting I find that garment."

She didn't argue. She wasn't sure she had the strength to move. She dropped down on the hay and leaned back against the wall of the stall.

He took up a cloth and began to wipe Kapu's coat. "No reply?"

She roused herself to respond, "Why should I? I don't care what you think of my gowns, Your Grace, and Lani says it should bring me great satisfaction to use an enemy as a stable boy."

"Lani is a wise woman. But don't you think you should address me by my given name, considering the humble status you've given me?"

"Perhaps." She watched him move around the horse, his movements swift, precise, yet gentle. He was all lean, compact muscle and athletic grace. He might be performing a stable boy's duty, but there was no servility about him; barefoot, dark hair wild, he looked more the arrogant warrior caring for his battle steed. His shirt was totally open now, and she could see the triangle of dark hair that thatched his gleaming chest. She had touched that chest, felt the washboard muscles of his belly that had tightened beneath her hands and-

"Why are you staring at me?"

Her gaze flew up to his face and saw that his eyes were narrowed on her.

She glanced hurriedly downward, trying desperately to think of something to say. "Your feet are bare."

"I was in a hurry to get to you," he said slowly. "I regret if it offends you."

"No, it was good of you to-I didn't mean-" She was stuttering like an idiot, she realized with, annoyance. "Why would it offend me? I often go barefoot."

"And your feet aren't the only portions of your body you bare," he said with a distinct edge to his voice. "Though no one would guess it by looking at you in that shroud."

She kept her gaze fixed on his feet. "You won't have to look at me in it after tonight. It's beyond repair."

"Good."

Silence fell between them. The only sounds were the soft swish of the cloth on Kapu's back and the distant whisper of thunder.

"That should do it." He tossed the cloth aside and gave Kapu a final pat. The stallion whickered and pressed his face against Jared's bare chest. He laughed and pushed the horse away before he turned to face her. "Anything else?"

"What?"

His eyes were glittering recklessly, and she stiffened as he moved toward her.

"Are there any other services you require?" He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Lani said you should make use of me. Don't you always do as Lani says?"

"Most of the time." She moistened her lips. "She's usually right."

"Is she? Then use the enemy," he urged softly. He took her hand, his thumb stroking the inside of her wrist. "As I intend to do."

She felt as if every stroke were sending little tingling ripples up her arm. Her throat tightened and she could scarcely breathe. He was so close she could smell the clean scent of him, feel the heat his body emitted.

"Let me go," she whispered.

"I'm not holding you." He smiled. "Not really. Not the way I want to hold you. Just this tiny touch on your wrist." His thumb leisurely moved up to her forearm. "And here…"

It was not true. He was holding her. She felt as if she were chained in place. The tingling was spreading to her shoulders and her breasts, and a strange languid heat was flowing through her.

He lifted her wrist until she could feel his breath on her skin with every low word. "You've seen what a good stable boy I am. Kapu enjoyed my wiping him down. Would you like me to do it to you?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"First, I'd rid you of that nun's gown." He blew softly on the veins of her wrist. "Then I'd lay you on it so that the hay wouldn't mark your skin. You have such soft skin…"

She was shaking as if she had the fever. "No…"

"Would you rather feel the roughness?" His tongue gently touched her wrist. "Whatever you want. I'll give you whatever you want. Just give me what I want in return."

"You can't give me anything. It's not-" She broke off as a long shudder went through her. He was licking delicately, sensuously, at her wrist as if she were some rare, exotic tidbit.

I'd like to lick the salt from your breasts.

The memory of his words pounded through her mind as she felt his warm tongue on her skin. What was the matter with her? Why couldn't she move? It was as if he were weaving some magic spell about her. Kahuna. Beautiful, seductive Kahuna…

"Rough or gentle. You tell me." Dark plum color flushed his cheeks and his voice was thick. "Let me open your thighs and put my hands on you, in you. I'll make you feel things you've never known before. You'll like my touch as much as Kapu did. I promise you, Cassie. Just let me-"

"No." She meant the word to be firm, but it came out a weak, mere breath of sound. She was not weak, she told herself frantically. She could break this spell. She jerked her arm away and scooted back from him. "How could you think I would do that?" she asked unevenly. "I don't want any of this."

He reached out as if he would touch her again, and then his hand dropped. "Do you think I do?" His voice was suddenly harsh. "But it's here. It's real." He paused and tried to temper his tone. "So compromises must be made. I've grown used to compromises over the years. We can't always have what we want. You must have discovered that, living with your father and sweet Clara Kidman."

And he had lived a life of privilege and self-indulgence. What wealth had not provided he would have won by that seductive charm. "I don't think you've ever made a compromise," she told him.

"Then you'd be wrong." He smiled cynically. "I made one two minutes ago when I didn't throw you down in the straw and have my wicked way with you."

She inhaled sharply.

"Don't look like that. I don't want to force you. But, dammit, I'm not accustomed to celibacy, and I'm not going to be able to keep myself from-" He rose to his feet, his entire body charged with leashed frustration. "So you'd better learn to make a few compromises yourself. You were very close to letting me have you tonight. If you won't admit it to me, at least be honest with yourself."

"I won't-" Her voice was agonized. "I can't."

"Come to terms with it. Before this voyage is over, you're going to be in my bed. And you're going to want to be there. I don't care how you justify it to yourself. It's going to happen." He stopped and drew a long breath. "Think about it." He strode toward the steps. "God knows I will!"

The door slammed behind him.

She crossed her arms over her chest to help still their trembling. He was wrong. She had not been near surrendering to that powerful sensual force. True, she had been dazzled, held captive for a moment, but only because she was weary and strained and-

If you won't admit it to me, at least be honest with yourself.

You've been robbed of time. You must think clearly.

Use me. I intend to use you.

It's going to happen.

Lani's words. Jared's words. Both were whirling, mingling in her mind like the winds of the storm.

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. What had happened tonight had torn aside the protective veil she had drawn around her, and she felt naked… and hurting.

Think about it.

Good God, how could she do anything else?

Lani was walking on deck when Cassie left the cargo hold the next morning. She made a face as she caught sight of Cassie. "You look terrible. Didn't you sleep at all?"

"A little. It was a terrible storm."

Lani nodded. "I slept little myself. I've no faith in that drunken sot as a captain." She added grudgingly, "Though he appeared to display a surprising control of the vessel last night." She dismissed the subject of Bradford as her gaze raked Cassie. "Well, that gown is certainly a disaster." She suddenly chuckled. "Which is one good occurrence in a bad night." When Cassie didn't agree at once, her smile faded. "What's wrong? Was Kapu hurt?"

Cassie smiled with an effort. "He's fine."

"I was about to go to you when the thunder started, but I saw our kindly host on his way to the hold, and I knew he'd be more help than I."

"He was a great help."

Lani frowned. "Then why do you look as if you're-" She stopped as Cassie looked away from her. "Talk to me, Cassie."

"There's nothing to say." She quickened her pace. "I only need to bathe and then go to my bed."

And come to terms with the frightening decision she had made after those long hours of searching her mind and emotions. She didn't want to be with anyone right now, not even Lani. She felt as finely balanced as a tightrope walker who would topple at a whisper. "I'll see you after I wake, Lani."

She was aware of Lani's puzzled gaze on her back as she hurried away.

"You look superb tonight." Jared bowed over Lani's hand before glancing around the dining hall with assumed casualness. "And will your friend be joining us for supper?"

"I think not." Lani gave him a dazzling smile. "As you know, she had a bad night with Kapu and is very weary. She prefers to eat in her cabin."

"I've not seen her all day," Bradford commented as he seated Lani. "Is she well?"

"Oh, Cassie is never sick."

"Except when she falls down mountains or tries to drown herself riding half-mad stallions," Jared said dryly.

"She never did any of those things before you came to our island," Lani said with great gentleness. She turned to Bradford. "I do hope you've chosen the wine tonight. You have such a depth of experience to draw on."

It seemed Lani was not all sweetness tonight, Jared thought as he watched her during supper. She was still glowing, still entertaining, but there had been a subtle shift of mood as demonstrated by those first velvet sheathed barbs.

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."

"A challenge," he said softly.

"I don't mean to challenge you. You wanted an explanation. I gave it."

"With your usual honesty and bluntness. I do believe I must teach you a bit of diplomacy for the sake of my self-love."

"I don't care about your self-love. I don't care anything about you."

He lifted a brow. "Yet you wish to give yourself to me."

"You keep saying that. I'll never give myself. That's not why I'm here."

"Isn't it the same thing?"

"Not to me," she said. "And I don't think it's the same to you, either. You'd like to think I'd meekly surrender to you."

He slowly shook his head. "You're wrong. I'd be very disappointed if you surrendered, and I can't imagine your doing anything meekly." His gaze moved down to her breasts and his smile was purely sensual. "It's my earnest hope you'll display no meekness whatever."

A tide of heat enveloped her, and she had to take a moment to steady her voice. "Then you'll not be disappointed. I'm coming to you because it suits me to do it. After we couple, I'll get up and walk away. It will mean nothing to me."

Rage momentarily crossed his face before he said lightly, "What a peculiar attitude for a woman."

"Only peculiar to a man. You all wish us to be meek and faithful and let you be the ones to get up and walk away. Your world is very unfair, and I won't live by your rules."

"All of this is more of your Lani's teachings, no doubt. Do you know, I believe I value your virginity more than you do. I actually felt quite guilt ridden before I overcame it."

She shrugged. "Because you're a foreigner and have strange ideas." This pose of boldness was growing more difficult by the moment. Why wouldn't he stop talking and begin their coupling? Anything would be better than this tension. "Why are you just standing there? I don't want to talk anymore."

"But I do. I find it fascinating to explore your reasoning in this matter."

"Why? You told me to use you as you intended to use me, and you said I'd come to your way of thinking."

"But not this quickly." His gaze went to the sarong. "And not in this charmingly barbaric fashion. Now, I wonder why you chose to present yourself in this guise."

"It's no guise. As I've said, I feel most comfortable dressed this way."

"It's the way Kanoa would feel the most comfortable," he corrected. "Not Cassandra Deville. Kanoa would dress like this. Kanoa would not hesitate to come to my bed. I'd wager you came to me like this because at the moment it's easier pretending to be Lani's little sister."

"I'm not pretending." She had acted purely on instinct when she had donned the sarong. She had not even thought about it. "I don't need excuses to do what I choose."

"Kanoa doesn't need excuses, but what of Clara Kidman's charge?"

She was beginning to think he might be right and was becoming uneasy that he knew her so well. "What does any of this matter? Don't you want me?"

His mockery vanished. "God, yes, I want you," he said thickly.

She inhaled sharply. "Then stop arguing. What difference does it make? I told you why I came here."

"To use me." He repeated the words with a grimace. "For some odd reason the term bothers me."

"You don't make sense. It's the term you used to me."

"I know." He unfolded his arms but still did not touch her. "But it's difficult to think coolly at a time like this." Suddenly he laughed harshly. "Christ, I can't believe I'm still standing here instead of inside you on that bed."

He reached out and touched her upper lip with his index finger.

She stiffened at the gentle touch as if he had struck her with a torch. Her lips felt as if they were swelling, softening, ripening at the caress. She involuntarily jerked her head back.

"No." He took a step closer and his finger outlined her upper lip. "No, Kanoa, let me… This is why you came here."

She stared up at him in helpless fascination as wave after wave of heat washed over her. "I don't think that this is all I came for."

He chuckled. "You're damn right it isn't. But I have to start somewhere. I've never had a virgin before, and this seems fairly innocuous."

Not to her. Everything he did or said, everything about him shimmered with sensuality-the scent of him, the planes of his face, the tension of his body. She was drowning in it, and her gaze clung to his as if to a safe mooring. No safety there, only glittering promise.

His fingers brushed the upper swell of her breast.

She shivered, and the muscles of her stomach contracted in response.

"You'll take me and then get up and walk away?" he murmured.

"Yes."

His fingers were at the knot of her sarong. "It will mean nothing to you?"

She had to force the answer through dry lips. "Nothing."

The sarong fell to the floor. She was naked.

He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it aside. "The hell it won't." He buried his hands in her hair and tilted back her head. His eyes were blazing. "I won't be nothing to anyone, goddammit." He pulled her into the cradle of his hips. Arousal. Stark, bold, merciless against her nakedness. "Is this nothing?" His palms cupped her buttocks, lifting her, rubbing her against him.

Shock tingled through her. The hair of his chest was brushing against her nipples, and they were growing more sensitive and hard with every passing second.

"Is it?" he asked again.

She could barely remember the question. "It's very pleasant… I think."

"And this?" His head bent, his tongue touched her nipple.

She cried out, her spine arched.

He lifted his head and he smiled. "Pleasant? I think you'll find that too tame a word." Then his lips closed on her breast, sucking strongly.

Fire. Hunger. Emptiness. It seemed impossible they could exist together, but they did. She reached out, her fingers burying themselves in his hair, holding him to her. Dear heaven, even the feel of his hair between her fingers was causing a tingling heat. She wanted to scream, moan…

He switched to her other breast, sucking, licking. His hands began to open and close on her buttocks. Pressure. Heat. Her heart was beating so hard it filled the cabin-no, it filled the world. Darkness and flame… and hunger.

He finally lifted his head and looked down at her dazed face. "I can't take this anymore," he said hoarsely. "I have to be inside you." He took her hand and pulled her toward the bunk. "Come."

She followed him docilely. In that moment she would have followed him anywhere.

Then he was over her, parting her thighs and moving between them. His hand was on the curls surrounding her womanhood, patting, stroking. "So soft." He tugged gently as he positioned himself. The muscles of her stomach clenched as a bolt of heat went through her. He nodded. "You like that? I'll give you more after I-" He stopped, not moving. "Christ." He looked down at her. "I don't know anything about this."

She looked at him in bewilderment through the haze of lust he had so skillfully built around her. What on earth was he talking about? It was clear to her he knew everything about this. "You appear to be very… well versed."

"Not with virgins, dammit. I don't know- It's supposed to hurt. I should take more time."

More time? When every nerve in her body was on fire? "No!"

"But I don't want to-" He broke off when she took matters into her own hands and lunged upward. His eyes closed as her tightness closed around him. "Damnation."

He plunged hard and deep!

Pain. Fullness. Joining.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip as sensation after sensation stormed through her. She felt so stretched, she was sure she could take no more. Yet, as the pain subsided, she was beginning to feel again that throbbing emptiness that had to be satisfied.

He was frozen within her, every muscle of his body knotted and strained. "Shall I move?" he asked in a low voice.

She would die if he didn't. "Yes."

"Thank God!" Some of the tension left him, but he was still braced as if on the rack. He moved stiffly, the first few thrusts slow, easy. "I'll try to-" he whispered. "It's no good. I'm sorry. I can't do-"

He exploded, thrusting short, long, fast, frantic.

She clutched his shoulders, desperately holding on to him as that emptiness grew and the hunger sharpened. She tried to help him, thrusting upward, instinctively clenching around him to keep him inside her when he left her.

"No, don't do that," he gasped. "I can't-"

She had to do it. She had to have all of him. Her head thrashed wildly from side to side on the pillow. She could feel the wetness on her cheeks, and she realized tears were streaming from her eyes. Lani had said this unbearable hunger was supposed to end. Why didn't it? Why was it growing and changing, making a slave of her body until she could only move mindlessly to the rhythm Jared set?

"Please, make it-" She didn't know what she wanted to ask of him. Make the torment stop. Make it go on forever. Belonging. Every stroke was drawing them closer. Jared. Possession. Darkness. Hunger. Faster, harder, Jared's breath was a harsh sob above her.

Or was she the one who was sobbing? It didn't matter, they were one.

"Now!" he said through his teeth, plunging to the heart of her.

She screamed as the dark hunger exploded, splintered into a brilliance like nothing she'd ever known. Jared collapsed on top of her. "Dear God."

It seemed they lay joined together a long time, but Jared's breath was still harsh and uneven when he leaned forward and his lips brushed her closed lids. "I think it's safe to assume you found me 'pleasant.' You're definitely more Kanoa than prim Cassandra."

His voice was a velvet reverberation in the darkness, Cassie thought dreamily, as lazily seductive as a summer breeze. This was beautiful, but she wanted it to start again. Soon he would touch her, stroke her, and the flames would start.

She opened her eyes. He was only a heartbeat away, looking down at her, his eyes so blue and clear she felt as if she were looking into forever. She wanted it to be forever. She wanted to float on and on in this special place until there were no more tomorrows. "Ku'aihelani," she murmured.

"I beg your pardon?" He kissed the tip of her nose. "I don't believe I know that word."

"It's not a word, it's a place. It's where-" She broke off as she came fully awake. This was not forever. This was no Ku'aihelani. What was she thinking? "Never mind."

"But I do mind. I'm a very curious man." He tugged at the lobe of her ear with his teeth, pressing just hard enough to send a tiny tingling through her. "I want to know about this Ku'aihelani. I want to know everything about you."

So that he could possess her mind as he had her body. Panic shot through her as the memory of that joining surged back. Dear God, what had possessed her? She knew the answer. He had possessed her, and dominated her and made her forget everything except what he had wanted her to feel.

She pushed him away with all her strength, catching him unawares. She jumped out of bed, looking around wildly for her sarong.

"Where the devil are you going?" Jared raised himself on one elbow. "Come back to bed."

"Why?" She picked up the sarong from the floor and jerkily wrapped it around her hips. "It's over. I'm going back to my cabin."

"It's not over. We've barely started."

She whirled on him. "It's over. I chose to come here. I choose to leave. You have nothing to do with it."

His lips tightened. "I beg to disagree. I had considerable to do with it ten minutes ago. I'm reluctant to be cast aside so arbitrarily."

"I told you that I'd walk away. I told you coupling with you would mean nothing to me." She brushed her hair back from her face with a shaking hand. "Nothing at all."

His gaze narrowed on her face. "Then why are you running away?"

"I'm not running away."

"I think you are." He held out his hand in invitation-naked, powerful, infinitely sexual. "Prove it," he said softly. "Stay. I've only begun to show you the way of it. Pleasure has many faces."

And his was the most alluring she had ever known. She took a half step forward before she realized what she was doing. She moistened her lips. "I'll come again… when it pleases me."

"Now." There was steel beneath the velvet.

She glared at him. "Only when it pleases me. I set the pace."

"The devil you will." He swung his legs to the floor. "You forget where you are. I can do what I will with you." He moved across the cabin. "Get back into that-" He broke off as he saw her face. "By God, I believe you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

"Did I hurt you?" He touched her cheek with infinite gentleness. "I know I was rough, but I didn't think I-"

"You didn't hurt me." His touch was causing her to tremble again. She wanted to lean forward against him, she wanted to reach out and-

She took a step back. "Why should I fear you?"

"I don't know." He studied her for a moment before adding roughly, "But, then, I never know what you're thinking. I keep forgetting what a child you are. Christ, maybe this is how all virgins respond after-" He turned away from her. "Get the hell out of here."

She stood unmoving, surprised by the sudden reversal.

"Leave," he said harshly. "Before I change my mind. You may have had enough of me, but I'm not so easily satisfied."

Neither was she, she realized in despair. She turned toward the door.

"Wait!" He snatched up his shirt from the floor and crossed back toward her. "Put this on."

She shook her head. She needed to be completely removed from him. She wanted nothing of his to remind her of that feeling of possession.

"Damn heathen shamelessness," he muttered. He forced her arms into the shirt. "There are seamen on duty out there."

"I know. I saw them when I came to you."

"And they saw you, no doubt." He started to button the shirt. "I don't want you to come to me like this again. At least wear a cloak."

"It's too warm for a cloak." The shirt smelled of him, and the soft linen was like a caress against her breasts, his caress. "And I don't want this. Take it off."

"If I do, I won't let you out of here until morning," he said grimly. "By God, I'm not letting any other man see you naked. You're so fond of being the one to choose. I warn you, make the right choice now."

She opened her lips to argue and then changed her mind. She wanted only to get away from him. "It's not worth discussing." She opened the door. "Good night."

"I doubt it," he muttered. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

She tensed, not looking at him. "I'm not sure- I may not decide to come to you tomorrow night."

"Then I'll come to you."

"No! I choose."

"It doesn't work that way. I'm willing to let you go tonight, but I'm no tame pup waiting for you to pick me up and play with me." He shook his head. "Poor Cassie, things aren't working out the way you expected, are they? Well, they aren't working out the way I thought, either. I hoped I'd be able to take you and then forget you. But it seems it's going to take more than one night." His tone laden with determination, he repeated, "I'll see you tomorrow night. I'll give you until midnight to come to me."

"I won't be here." The door slammed behind her.

Free. But she didn't feel free. His scent was on the shirt, on her skin, and she felt as if his hands were still on her body. She moved quickly down the deck toward her cabin. Once she was alone, she would scrub her skin until no hint of his touch remained.

But the memory would remain, the memory of the way he looked, the way he felt within her… Sweet Mary, she was beginning to tremble again. Lani had never told her that she would feel like this afterward. If coupling meant nothing, why did she feel as if a tight chain bound her to Danemount even when she was no longer with him? She had the odd feeling that if either of them moved too far away from the other, the chain would tear them apart.

Imagination. She had lost her virginity this night, and perhaps she had paid more heed to Clara's words than she had realized. Clara had said a woman must come chaste to her husband's bed and cling only to him, or she would burn in hell. Well, Cassie had burned tonight. She had burned and trembled and cried out as he took and took and took…

Don't think about it. Tomorrow she would be fine. Tomorrow she would realize that nothing had happened to her that had not happened to generations of women before her. She would laugh at this panic. She opened the door of her cabin. Tomorrow she would be herself and know-

"Are you well?" Lani asked quietly. She was sitting on the bunk across the room. "He did not hurt you?"

Cassie stopped in the doorway. "No," she whispered. "How did you know?"

"I came to see you when I returned from supper. You were not here." She smiled and shook her head. "It took no great intellect to guess where you had gone."

"But you didn't come after me."

"You know I never interfere with your decisions. It would be an intrusion. But I wish you'd told me." She held out her arms. "Come."

Cassie flew across the room and dropped to her knees in front of Lani. Lani's arms enfolded her- warmth, safety, love. She buried her face in Lani's shoulder. "I had to do it," she whispered.

Lani stroked her hair. "Why?"

"You were right. It made sense for one of us to be close to him, if it could help Papa. We have to know when he receives word from France. But why should you have to do it when it might hurt you if Papa found out?"

"I was willing to take the risk."

"But you shouldn't have to do it when I-" She nestled closer; her words were muffled. "I wanted him."

"Shh, I know you did. Why are you so full of guilt? I told you that it was no betrayal if the passion was of the body alone."

"But I didn't think it would be like this."

Lani stroked her hair. "And how was it?"

She couldn't describe it, even to Lani. "It wasn't as you said. I… didn't want to walk away. It frightened me."

"But you did walk away?"

"Yes."

"Then it was no betrayal." Lani sighed. "But I wish you had not done it. I was hoping your first man would be pure joy. Was he kind to you?"

Kind. Had there been kindness in that storm of passion? She wanted to deny it, but there had been gentleness in his surprising hesitation before he had taken her. "He didn't hurt me." She lifted her head. "He wants me to come to him again."

"And are you going to do it?"

"It would be foolish of me not to, wouldn't it? This night would be for nothing." She paused. "But I don't… Why am I afraid, Land?"

"You'll have to answer that yourself." She smiled. "I will tell you what I think, if you like. You suspect that you're not as strong as you'd thought. It's not true. You're stronger. You will see. You'll do whatever is necessary."

"Will I?" She felt a sudden surge of confidence. "Of course I will." She sat back on her heels. "I was afraid only because the coupling was… different from what I'd expected."

Lani leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "If you wish to refuse him, do it. We will make other plans." She rose to her feet. "I'll leave you to sleep. Rest well. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes." She watched the door close behind Lani. She had been foolish to be frightened. She had the strength to keep mind and body apart when with Jared. She rose to her feet, quickly unbuttoned the shirt, and stripped it off. She could take what she wanted of him and discard him just as she had his shirt. She untied the sarong and tossed it on top of the shirt, then padded naked across the floor to the washstand. It would be easier the next time. She would be more prepared.

She would learn to walk away without a second glance.