Savage Conquest (16 page)

"This is another trick, isn't it?" she asked
painfully. Was he afraid if she did some snooping she
would discover his lies? Could she be so mistaken
about Weber, so blind and gullible?

Reis captured her face between his hands and
shouted at her, "Tarnation, woman! All I need is a
little time to prove it. Just don't marry him before
Luke and I can save you. If you think you need
money, I'll give you any amount. If you think I'm
lying, then marry me. I have everything you want or
need," he vowed.

"Marry you?" she repeated, eying him strangely.
$'Why?"

"Secretly, Mandy," he added a curious stipulation,
then explained his reason. "If Weber thinks you're
siding with me, that means you're against him. I
won't put your life in danger, love. If you marry me,
we'll have to keep it a secret from everyone but Randy
and Luke. You'll have to pretend to remain friends
with Weber. Otherwise, you'll have to go to my home
and wait for me there." Reis didn't have a home
anywhere, but he would buy one if she would live in
it! This was a dangerous ploy, but one he couldn't
resist.

"But why marry me secretly?" she probed, still
doubtful.

"Marriage is legal and binding. Would I go so far
just to hurt another man? Surely you would trust me
then?" he tested.

"If what you say is true, then Web had me fooled
completely. Who's to say you don't have similar
motives?" she fenced nervously.

"Right now, you have only my word," he stated
candidly.

Reis slowly bent forward, his lips coming into contact with hers when she didn't move aside. He
kissed her tenderly and leisurely, then leaned away.
"I swear I've spoken the truth, love, all of it."

Amanda gazed into his eyes and felt she could trust
him. Suddenly she realized she was finally free of the
pain of the last few weeks. She didn't have to marry
Web! Reis loved her and wanted to marry her! She
had nothing to fear! In spite of the gloomy weather,
her heart was full of sunshine and joy. Despite her
slushy surroundings, she had never been more
comfortable.

She smiled at him and teased, "You're a mess, Reis.
So am I." She took handfuls of mud and smeared
them over his bare chest, shoulders, and back. "You
forgot to tell me you like to play in mud."

"It seems I'm not the only one," he responded,
covering her arms and chest with it. "Now, you'll
really have to remove that gown; it's ruined, love. But
we have a problem; there's only one blanket left."

"Surely your clothes will be dry soon," she retorted
playfully.

"Not if I can help it," he jested merrily, kissing the
tip of her nose. "Can you believe this, us playing in
the rain and mud?"

"And dressed like this?" she added laughingly.

"Or undressed like this?" he parried devilishly.

"I might be sorry, Reis, but I believe you," she
murmured.

Reis's mouth came down on hers, this time
passionately. He parted her lips and invaded her
mouth. His arms went around her neck and shoulders, lifting her head out of the mire. Almost
simultaneously, her arms encircled his steely body.
Suddenly the mucky hole seemed sensual and cozy.

His desire mounting, he unwillingly pulled away.
"Are you brave enough to wash this off in a chilly
stream?" he inquired roguishly.

She laughed and retorted, "Do we have any choice?
Any chance there's some soap in that cabin?"

He chuckled and said, "I doubt it. We'll have to
make do with just water. At least we can wash each
other's back," he teased.

Amanda grinned. This was as wild and wonderful
as their first meeting. He had a way of relaxing and
enchanting her. She was no longer afraid of him, of
herself, or events surrounding them. Reis said he was
hers, and that was all that mattered now.

As if reading her thoughts, he chuckled and noted,
"We do have a crazy way of bewitching each other,
don't we? You make me feel so alive, so carefree,
Mandy. It's like being a kid again, having fun and
doing silly things. You realize we're perfectly suited
to each other?" Reis helped her to sit up near him, yet
he didn't extract them from the mud.

Amanda glanced down at her condition, then
giggled as she curled her legs behind her and looked
up into his amused expression. "Evidently, Reis
Richardson. Maybe I'm just exhausted from fleeing
your persistent chase," she jested, wiping off clumps
of mud from his chest and arms. She nestled into his
embrace, murmuring, "Since you're so handsome
and strong, I suppose my defeat isn't that bad. I yield to your superior strength, my dashing Yankee
conqueror. How could I possibly reject a suitor who
captures me in such an ... unusual manner?"

Reis hugged her tightly, then scooped her up in his
arms and struggled to free his feet from the engulfing
mire. She laughed as they swayed precariously. She
taunted playfully, "You did threaten to drop me in
the mud, but I didn't think you were serious. From
now on, Mister Harrison, I shall have to respect your
words. "

Chuckles came from deep within that muscular
chest. "Let's get you bathed, dried, and warmed. We
still have some matters to discuss, Miss Lawrence."

"Such as?" she hinted curiously.

"Such as what will happen with us," he replied,
tightening his grip on her as he stepped from the
delightful quagmire. He headed for the stream,
carrying her effortlessly. He gingerly waded into the
rain-swollen stream to an area just above his knees.
Suddenly he halted and stiffened, but not from the
biting liquid nipping at his bare legs and feet.

"I think we have a problem," he stated nervously,
comically, as his soggy blanket, heavy with mud and
water, pulled from his lithe body, leaving him stark
naked with Amanda clutched in his arms while the
capricious covering was swept away by the strong
and impish currents.

Amanda burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"It isn't funny, Miss Lawrence. How do you
propose I protect our modesty now?"

She thought but a moment before merrily suggesting, "Of course, it serves you right for being so
improper in the first place, but I could close my eyes
while you sit down or chase your naughty garment."

"Then what?" he pressed in rising humor, relieved
that she didn't seem overly concerned or embarrassed
by their predicament.

"We can wash off this mud. Then I'll return to the
cabin and hide in my blanket," she offered a
seemingly simple solution.

"There's only one dry blanket left. What about
me?" he wailed.

"Since you're responsible for this episode, you can
either use my wet blanket or your slicker. Once you
build a fire, you'll be warm enough," she blithely mocked his helpless position.

"How about you use my shirt and I use the
blanket?" he hinted.

"But your shirt is wet; I'll freeze," she shrieked.
"Surely a man who vows love for a distressed lady can
be unselfish and gallant?"

"You wouldn't be cold in my arms," he debated,
grinning down at her. "I'll tell you what; let's bathe
and then decide how to handle this new business."

Amanda closed her eyes tightly as she suppressed
more giggles. He lowered her to the ground and
nudged her into the murky water as he sank beneath
its protective surface.

Amanda instantly bolted to her feet and squealed
as the biting water nipped at her bare flesh. She
whirled and stared down at him. "You lied, Harrison; this water is like icel" Her teeth chattered and
she wrapped her hands around her arms and rubbed
them frantically, unintentionally shoving her breasts
together and causing them to bulge from her low
neckline. "Surely you don't expect me to sit down?"

Reis laughed heartily. "It's not so bad once you get
used to it. You certainly can't remain a little piglet.
That mud will eventually dry and become most
scratchy," he argued, beginning to wash the mud off
his body with gentle movements. "You know
something? With your hair dark with mud, you
almost look like Randy."

Amanda stood there indecisively. Reis caught her
hand and pulled upon it, encouraging, "Get it over
with, love. The water won't get any warmer."

She gritted her teeth and stiffened as she sank into
the stream before him, grimacing in discomfort.
Before she could begin her own cleansing, Reis
tenderly captured an arm and scrubbed it, then the
other one. He told her to turn around and he would
wash her back, which she did. With a rakish grin, he
remarked, "You'd best wash the front, or I might
become excited and break my promise."

Amanda shrieked again as she splashed water on
her chest time after time until the mud was gone and
then did the same with her face. "This water is almost
as dirty as us," she complained, trembling. "What
about my hair; it's filthy and full of tangles," she
fretted.

"Duck under the water and swish it around," he
replied.

"That's easy for you to say; this water isn't that
cold to you. Let's see if I can make you just as
miserable," she threatened, splashing water on his
chest and in his face.

"Two can play at that game, love," he taunted.

"Not if I escape first. Are you forgetting you can't
get up?" She wickedly reminded him of his state of
nudity.

He grinned sensually and huskily murmured, "I
can chase you, love; and if you turn around, you've
only yourself to scold. Lay your head across my arm
and I'll scrub that hair for you," he offered sweetly.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Another trick, my
daring rogue?"

"Since I'm to blame for getting you dirty, shouldn't I repair the damage?" he deliberated aloud,
winking at her. "Surely you don't expect me to get
inflamed while sitting in freezing water?"

"Reis Harrison! You crude brute," she chided his
bold remark.

"If you want help with that golden mane, you'd
best hurry; I'm getting numb-everywhere," he
added wantonly.

Amanda gasped in astonishment, then scolded,
"You're awful! But if what you say is true, then I
should be perfectly safe."

She moved to sit at his left leg as directed, since he
was left-handed. She slowly leaned back over his
right arm which was propped on a slightly raised
knee to prevent any intimate contact between them.
He quickly worked with the cascade of hair which
was dangling in the water until it was as mud-free as
possible. "That's better. But what about that muck
under your gown?" he asked mirthfully.

Their gazes met in amusement, then became
serious as they fused. Unable to stop himself, he
pulled her to him and kissed her intensely. One kiss
led to another until the chilly water swirling around
their locked bodies couldn't cool the heat of fiery
passion.

"Amanda, love, I want you," he whispered against
her lips, his hands moving up and down her arms as
if to rub away the chill of her flesh. It was a brief,
simple statement, but it said everything.

"I want you too, Reis," she responded feverishly,
twisting her lips against his as she pressed closer to his taut frame. "Make love to me," she entreated him,
enslaved by unbridled desire. This was the third time
he had tempted her to mindless frenzy; this time she
yielded.

He lifted her and carried her to the bank where they
sank entwined in the wet grass, unable to wait until
they reached the cabin to sate their mutual hungers.
He removed her gown without removing his mouth
from hers, then trailed a damp hand over the curves
and planes he had dreamed about since meeting her.
Reis tried to caution himself to teach her about love
gently and slowly, but she was too eager and
inflamed to be mastered, too impassioned to be
restrained.

Amanda had wanted him for so long that she
couldn't wait a moment longer. Her body was like an
ember near a blazing fire, one which would die
slowly if it didn't become a part of that potent blaze.
As his lips teased her breasts to firm suspense, their
taut peaks burned from the warmth of his mouth.
Her hands moved over tanned skin which she hadn't
dared to touch until now. When she wasaquiverand
breathless, he tenderly moved over her and gently
joined his eager flesh to hers. She arched toward him
in wild abandon, lost in the ecstasy of their union.
There was no pain-only joy.

His deft hands and lips worked as skillfully and
ardently as his throbbing manhood, until he brought
her to the pinnacle of exquisite pleasure. Together,
they passed through rapture's gates. Blissful serenity
engulfed them, their lips still touching as they descended from the heights.

Here in this private hideaway with her body
stained with obstinate mud, lying on the saturated
earth beside a rain-swollen stream, Amanda had
given herself freely to the man who owned her heart.

Reis propped himself on an elbow and gazed down
at her, such tenderness emblazoned upon his handsome features, such love shining softly in his eyes.
"You all right, love?" he inquired apprehensively.