Payton's Woman (30 page)

She leaned to the side for
a better view of his backside. The muscles in his back rippled as he stroked
the straight razor across his cheek. Without the bulky tails of a shirt tucked
in, his trousers rode lower on his hips. She noticed a tuft of hair in the
small of his back that looked fine and downy soft. Her fingers tingled with
anticipation as she thought about threading her nails through the soft tangle. Her
gazed moved down his body. The heavy material of his trousers couldn’t hide his
form. The muscles of his bottom where firm and tight. His legs were strong, his
thighs hard. The splendor of his body amazed her.

They had been apart for a
couple of weeks, but he’d never been out her thoughts longer than a few
minutes. He was her husband. She loved him dearly.

Her gaze moved back to
his face. “Did you really mean what you said earlier?”

He wiped the remainder
of the lather from his face with a clean towel. “What? That I won’t kill a man
in cold blood?”

“No, that you love me. I
don’t think I’ve ever heard you say the words.”

“Bloody hell, Julia.” He
scrunched the towel into a ball and threw it into the corner of the room.

“Do you?”

He grabbed her and
pulled her out of the chair. “Sometimes you make me want to...”

Her hand pressed against
his naked chest. Her fingernails scored though the dark mat of hair. She gazed
into his brilliant blue eyes. “What do I make you want to do?”

His fingers thrust
through her hair, and cupping the back of her head, he pulled her to him. He twisted
his hand into a fist around her hair, forcing her head back farther. Her lips
parted just as his mouth pressed against hers. The moist heat of his mouth
engulfed her for a brief moment before his tongue thrust into her mouth. With
his other hand, he tore away the blanket wrapped around her waist and flung it
across the room. He grasped her bare bottom and pressed her against his hard
body.

When he lifted his head,
his gaze lingered upon her face. Blue eyes glimmered brightly with intensity. “The
reason I’ve never told you is because I love you more than words can say.”

Sweeping her into his
arms, he tossed her gently in the middle of the bed. His body followed. One leg
slid between her thighs as his mouth nibbled at her lips. He tore his lips from
her mouth and placed kisses across her cheek and down her neck.

“Take this off.” He
tugged at the shirt. “If I try, I’m liable to rip off the buttons.”

He crawled off her.
While she removed her shirt, he stripped away his remaining clothes. She pulled
the covers back and scampered between the cold sheets. When he joined her there,
she pulled the blankets over them.

“I’ve missed you,” he
said, his voice a throaty whisper. He nuzzled his face against her neck. His
lips sucked and nibbled at her skin until his mouth hovered next to her ear. “I
want you so much.”

“I want you, too.” Her
hands stroked down his back. With fingertips squeezing the hard muscles of his bottom,
she urged him closer.

He eased her legs apart
and moved between her thighs. His hand moved between their bodies, and his
fingers stroked her delicate flesh. “You feel so good. You’re hot and tight,
and I need you so much.”

She gasped as his
throbbing flesh pressed against her. “Careful,” she said.

He retreated slightly. He
slipped his hand beneath her hips and pulled her against him. “I can’t wait much
longer. I have to have you.”

His mouth moved to her
breast. He licked across her nipple that had turned to a crowning peak and sucked
at her breast as he thrust into her.

A fire grew in her belly.
She wrapped her legs around him. Her hands gripped his shoulders; her fingers
dug into his flesh. Her hips arched up to him as he thrust into her over and
over again.

She called out his name
as she hovered on the edge of ecstasy. He slipped his hand between their bodies
and stroked at the tiny, swollen bud hidden between her thighs. Her body burst
into flames. She shivered and shook with spasms of pleasure until she collapsed
into a quivering mass of exhausted flesh.

His muscles tensed when
he thrust deep inside her one last time. He held her tightly as a hard quiver
rippled through his body. A groan sounding more like a growl rumbled in his
throat. Hard muscles relaxed, and his weight eased onto his arms. He rolled off
her and lay sprawled out on the bed beside her.

Several moments passed
before either of them moved. His head turned on the pillow and he looked into
her eyes. He twined his fingers with hers and pressed the back of her hand to
his lips.

“I’ll say it again just
in case you missed it. I love you, Julia, more than words can say.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“I’m all sweaty again.” Payton
rubbed his hand across his chest.

“Would you like me to
heat more water?” She turned on the bed so she faced him. Her fingers slid over
his belly. “I could practice being the dutiful wife. I could even bathe you if
you wish.”

His laughter rumbled in
his chest. “If I let you bathe me, I’m afraid I’ll end up getting sweaty all
over again.”

“Then I’ll have to wash
you again.”

Moisture clung to her
lips from their recent kisses. Her tousled blonde hair flowed around her
shoulders and over her breasts. Her incredibly colored eyes glistened from the lamplight.

He slipped his arm
beneath her shoulders and pulled her to him. “You are a tempting little siren.”

“We’ve been married only
a few short weeks, but we’ve barely been with each other. I’ve missed being
close to you like this.”

“I agree. I’ve missed
you every moment we’ve been apart. It’s been a long two weeks.

“Two weeks.” Her body
stiffened as she gasped for air. She pulled her hand free of the covers and began
to count on her fingers.

“That’s right. We’ve
been married about two weeks,” he repeated.

“There’s something I
need to ask.” She chewed at her lower lip, as if reluctant to continue.

“Ask whatever you like.”
He bunched the pillow up under his head so he could see her better.

“Do you know how to take
precautions?”

“Of course,” he blurted
out. “I’m a very cautious man. I’ve managed to stay alive all these years
without getting killed.”

“No, I mean precautions
about other things, you know...” Her cheeks flushed. Her fingers pressed
against her lips as if she didn’t want to say the words out loud. “...with women.”

Precautions with
women?
He mulled over the question. She could only mean one thing. She had
to be referring to the diseases men could get from women if they weren’t
careful. He wondered if her brother had told her of the filth and squalor that
abounded at the various ports around the world. But she didn’t need to worry. He
was aware, and he did take precautions. He sought to put her mind at ease.

“I understand your
concern. You think because I’ve been with a lot of other women that I must—”

“What?” She pushed
herself up on one elbow. “How many other women?”

His mouth dropped open
when he saw the shocked look on her face. Did she expect him to be as untouched
as she had been on their wedding night?

“There’ve been a few,”
he said, although his mind quickly calculated the number to be quite a bit
higher than a few.

She seemed satisfied
with his answer and settled back on the bed. “You haven’t answered my other
question.”

“You can rest easy. I’ve
always taken precautions when it comes to women.”

A murmuring sound tumbled
from behind her closed lips. Her body relaxed, but her eyebrows crinkled in
thought. “I’m a woman, yet I know so little about these things. How do men know
so much?”

“I can’t answer for
everyone, but I learned it from a book. Of course I didn’t look it up until after
I saw what could happen if a man wasn’t careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I first went to
sea, I was on a merchant ship. We were out for some time before we stopped at a
port. I forget where it was, but we needed to take on supplies. Several of the
men went ashore. Because I was young, they left me onboard to keep watch. A few
days later, some of those men were in awful pain. And you won’t believe the
cure for it.”

He shook his head as he recalled
the agony the men had suffered from the disease—and also from the cure. “The
captain served as the doctor. He used a syringe filled with silver, or mercury,
or some sort of solution, but it had a long needle. Then he inserted it into—”

“What are you talking
about?” She bolted upright on the bed. Her face scrunched up into a look of
part horror, part confusion. “How does that prevent babies from being made?”

“Babies?” He scrunched
up his own face in confusion, but he quickly realized what she meant. “The same
thing a man uses to prevent getting diseases also prevents babies, so you don’t
have to worry about that either. I don’t have any children running around at some
shabby sea port.”

“So you did take
precautions?” She stared at him, apparently waiting for his confirmation.

He nodded.

“Then I don’t have to
worry about being with child?”

His jaw sagged. His eyes
opened wide.

She must have drawn her
conclusion from his expression. Her open hand smacked him on the bare chest. “You
didn’t!”

“This is different.” He sat
up on the bed and faced her. “You’re my wife.”

“Did you ever think I
might want to have a say in it. Look where we’re living.” She waved her hand
around the room in a dramatic fashion. “Is this were you want to bring up a
child?”

“We won’t always live
here.” He glanced at her belly in search of a telltale bulge, but the sheet
bunched around her body and prevented him from making a clear assessment. “We
haven’t been married that long. Are you certain you’re carrying a child?”

“No.” Her anger ebbed. “I
should know any day now, but I’m not always on time.”

“Then let’s not worry
about it until we know for certain. But even if you are, it’s not so bad.” He
lay back on the bed and coaxed her to him. “In fact, I kind of like the idea of
having a baby—that is, if you’re happy about it, too.”

“If you’re not upset
about a child, then I guess I’m not either. As long you get money soon so we can
move out of here before we actually have a family.”

She relaxed against him.
Her cheek settled against his chest, but suddenly she sat upright again.

“Money.” Her eyes widened
as she gazed around the room.

“We’re not going to get
any sleep if you keep jumping up like this.”

Her attention came back
to him. “Payton, if Wilber Hennigan left something here, would it belong to his
wife? Or would you keep it since you now own the Double Eagle?”

“It depends.” He thrust
his fingers through his hair while he thought. “If it belonged to the shipping
company, it would stay here. If it was his personal property, his wife would
get it.”

“Good. I don’t think I
could enjoy it anyway after knowing how he got it, even if we needed it for our
baby.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“Would you go over to the
washstand and pull it away from the wall. There’s something I need to see.”

A chill hovered throughout
the room, but with the expression on her face, he knew this was important. He crawled
from the bed, slipped on his trousers, and walked barefooted across the cold wood
floor.

The washstand appeared
to be made of pine, but when he tried to move it away from the wall, it felt as
if it had been built of iron. He struggled with the chore, and after he pulled
it away from the wall, he spotted the hidden compartment in the back. A leather
satchel set inside. He tugged at the small case and had to use both hands to
pull it free. The contents of the satchel clinked and jingled.

When he opened it, he
couldn’t believe what lay in front of him. Gold coins filled the bag. He looked
at Julia. “How did you know?”

She closed her eyes and
shook her head. “I’ll tell you about it another time.”

“I’ll see to it that his
widow gets this money tomorrow.”

After he shoved the wash
stand back into place, he jumped into bed and pulled the covers over them. He snuggled
against her warm body to rid the chill.

“Are there any more
secrets you want to tell me about?”

“I should think that’s
quite enough for one night.”

****

Julia had probably just dosed
off when her nightmare began. She awoke with a start. Unfamiliar with the
surroundings, she reared up on the bed.

“Easy, Angel.” Payton
put his arm around her. “Bad dream?”

Moonlight filtered into
the room from around the edges of the closed curtains. Her mind cleared when she
heard his voice, and her body relaxed. The menacing dream had vanished. She lay
safely enveloped in the warm embrace of the man she loved.

“Did I wake you?” she
asked.

“I haven’t been asleep.”

“Are you afraid you’ll
have a bad dream?”

“My nightmares come to
me when I’m awake.”

“Do you want to talk
about it?” She tilted her head so she could see his face.

“It’s an ugly story.” He
let out a heavy sigh. “And it’s not easy to tell.”

“I won’t pry your
secrets from you. You can tell me when you’re ready.”

“Perhaps I should tell
you. It’s not a secret. And it’ll all come out anyway once Dunbar is brought to
trial.” He shifted her in his arms and pressed her head against his chest so
she couldn’t see his face as he talked. “You know I’m hunting for Dunbar, but I’ve
never told you the details.”

She recalled what Ritter
had told Betsy. “He tried to take over you ship, but you shot him in the leg.”