Games (Timeless Series) (18 page)

~~

The yearling reared his head, not happy with the halter Giselle had placed over his head.

“Steady, boy,” Gus said, gentling the horse.

“You really do work here?”

Caught off guard,
Giselle looked up to see Simon straddling a horse, his face sporting a silly, lopsided grin. The sight of him lifted her mood and pleasure spread through her system because he had clearly sought her out.

All day long
, thoughts of the evening to come had played over and over in her mind. The fact that after tonight her virginity might be lost did not seem to faze her. This might be her only chance to experience life to the fullest. The idea of having an exciting man like Simon Harrington introduce her to the ways of love caused a surge of anticipation to run through her.

“
Oui
, I do. Imagine that,” she answered coyly. Though she had kissed many, he was the first man who ever made her wonder what went beyond.

He chuckled and
glanced at Gus. “Can I borrow your worker? I have a few questions to ask her. I thought we could take a ride out together and she could answer them on the way.”

Gus
took the reins of the halter from her and nodded. “
Ja
, I see Jake gave you a couple of horses needing some exercise. Since the weather will be turning cold soon, it’s good to work them as much as possible. Go on, Giselle. I can finish here.”

G
iselle licked her lips, grazing the bottom one, shy all of a sudden and not sure if she wanted to be alone with Simon. He seemed much too virile and she no longer trusted her ability to handle him.

“What’s the matter, Giselle?” Simon teased
. “Afraid?”

Wanting to wipe his too confident grin off
his face, she threw her shoulders back, stalked up to him, and yanked the reins he held out to her out of his grip.

H
e leaned over and whispered so only she could hear, “No need to be afraid, honey. I don’t bite, at least not hard.”

As fast as she could, s
he placed her foot in the stirrup, jumped on the horse, and galloped away from the pasture, listening to his taunting laughter behind her.

Seconds later,
hoofbeats warned her that Simon rode hard to catch up.

Urging the mare faster, Giselle felt her
face flame. Even more appalling was that he had been fully aware of her reaction. How could she ever think to meet him head-on if she continued to run from him like a scared rabbit at his slightest taunt?

Remember
, Giselle, she chided herself. If you keep your calm and don’t respond to his teasing, you might be able to rattle him.

She
had done so the evening before and could do it again.

Eventually she slowed, allowing him to ride up beside her.

After ambling for a quarter of a mile, she placed a bored look on her face and turned to him. “How far are we going to ride?”

“I don’t know
. Far enough to have you to myself.”

She yanked on the reins,
halting her horse. Keeping her bored expression intact, she said, “Simon, this is not part of our agreement.”

“Then I’m changing the rules of our agreement
.”

She could tell by his clipped voice and the irritation flaring from his eyes that her
assertion and manner annoyed him. “You said you had some questions for me,” she asked, continuing in the same vein. “So ask away.”

“That was just a ploy to get you alone and you well know it,”
came his angry reply. “Don’t start playing coy with me, Giselle. You won’t like the consequences.”

“Oh?
And what might those be? Surely not another night with you.” She turned her mount to start back. “Since there are no questions, I will see you later.”

All of a sudden, she was being lifted off her horse and into his arms
. He slid down from his horse, holding her to him all the while.

“I’ll be damned if I’ll let you get away with ignoring me like that
. I told you once before, Giselle.” His voice cut like a knife into the air. “Play your games with whomever you want, but don’t play them with me.”

Before she could protest, his lips descended over hers
. His tongue and mouth were relentless in demanding her response. Too caught up in a whirlwind of emotions swamping her, she could barely catch her breath as her hands went to his shoulders with the idea of pushing him away. Instead her hands slid around his nape, feeling the silky softness of his hair.

Warmth flooded her system
. Simon Harrington knew how to kiss and she melted in his arms. Wanting more, she wrapped her fingers around his neck and pulled him closer. Wave upon wave of pleasure washed over her like the sea lapping the beach, reaching higher with every sweep. Soon, she felt air rush over her skin. A tingling sensation in the form of goose bumps spread everywhere. The idea of his busy hands having her habit open to her waist, displaying her breasts so quickly and effortlessly without her even knowing he’d done so, increased her sense of excitement. All thoughts were extinguished when his hands began stroking her bared breasts. She couldn’t hold back her soft moan, the sound eliciting more sensations as his hand moved lower, cupping her buttocks, pulling her closer, so she felt him through her habit. She sensed he was as aroused as she and for some reason this aroused her more. The idea of where his hardness rubbed seemed so decadent. She fought the temptation to lie with him. No one had ever touched her as he was doing now.

When his mouth softened and he bit her bottom lip,
then sucked softly, more desire slammed into her, consuming her with need, making her realize how useless it was to struggle against the want. She fully succumbed to his kiss, letting go with every fiber of her being. No one other than Simon had ever made her feel this alive. All Giselle could do was hold on and let the feelings of bliss wash over her.

~~

The instant Simon felt her total acquiescence, elation surged through him. Never before had one woman’s response meant so much. He wanted her begging him for release and he swore he’d have it before the night was over. His lips trailed over her face to her neck. He spent a few minutes kissing and nibbling before moving to her ear, plunging with his tongue and biting on her lobe.

“Giselle, wh
y do you bait me like you do?” he whispered. “You know I can’t let you get away with it. You’ve sucked me into your trap, but so help me God, I’m taking you with me. Do you understand? We’re going down together.”

Her moan was his only response
. Desire for her ravaged his body. He wanted nothing more than to plunge into Giselle’s sweetness and surrender to the longing that had been with him for too many months to count. His lips found hers again, coaxing her into responding further. Giselle plowed one hand’s fingers through his hair, yanking at his head, pulling him even closer while the other boldly stroked his erection.

Sensing the need to stop before he lost total restraint, he lifted his
head. He teetered too close to the edge of no return. Too close to taking this sweet, irritating morsel here on the ground like an animal. He’d always exercised more finesse. How was it this bit of a girl brought out some primal urge in him to conquer her? Looking down into passion-filled eyes, he understood fully that he’d skirted closer to the brink than he’d thought. The want and the need reflected in those beautiful round eyes mirrored his own want and need, and did little to slow his desire. He put his chin on her head and closed his eyes, shutting out everything in order to gain the control he held on to by a thread.

Eventually,
his breathing slowed and normalcy returned. He glanced down, spotting the exact moment realization set in for her. A horrified, humiliated expression flitted over her face as color infused it. She tried to back away from him but he held her firmly in his grasp, not letting her move. Her look became even more mortified as he helped her dress and slowly began doing up her buttons in a gentle manner, giving her no choice but to stoically stand and allow him to finish.

She wouldn’t meet his eyes as he helped her onto her horse
. The two rode back side by side, neither speaking, both absorbed in their own thoughts.

Jake came out of the stable at their approach and waited while Simon dismounted and moved to help her down.

~~

Giselle felt as if she might shatter if he touched her again, so she hurried ahead, hoping to avoid any more contact with him
.

What a fool she had been to try
to play games with the man, when he was so much more skilled at playing. Despite his subtle challenges to lure her, she should have known better. More importantly, she should have known that he played to win. To him, she probably represented some kind of prize to be wooed, tried, and then put back on the shelf. Yet for her it was becoming much more serious, because her heart was involved.

Simon’s voice stopped her midway to the house.

“Giselle, are you all right?”

She schooled her expression to show none of the emotions hurling inside her when she
spun around to answer. “I’m fine. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Giselle?”

The concern in his voice stopped her again, and turning back to him, she met his searching emerald gaze. The two stood for what seemed like hours, eyeing each other. “Yes?” she finally asked. “What is it?”

“I still expect you to honor your bet.”

She inclined her head and said in a more lighthearted manner than she felt, “Of course you do,
monsieur
. And I expect to honor it.”

“Baiting me again?” he asked, amusement sliding over his expression.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” She held her head high.

Simon snorted
. “Yes, you do. I would have thought one lesson would be enough.” Imitating her earlier gesture, his eyebrows shot up. He stood, holding her in place with his gaze. Then he smiled. “Well, I’m waiting.”

“
If you will excuse me,
Simon,
” she said with a sneer, “I promised the children I would read them a story before dinner.”

She then turned abruptly and stalked
toward the house with the sound of his laughter mocking her every step. Her face burned with shame. How had he so easily enticed her to act like some doxy on the docks? All he had to do was touch her and she fell right into his hands, melting all over him.

Oh
, how she’d love to see the infuriating man hung up by his bootstraps. She stormed into her room and slammed the door on her way to her bed. That this was becoming habit was not lost on her as she plopped down and hid her eyes behind her arm in an effort to halt the rushing tears. But the action did nothing. Once started, they wouldn’t stop.

Simon Harrington was the most maddening man she had ever met, nothing but trouble, and she rued the day she first spied him
. Though, if she were to be honest with herself, she had to admit he was also the most exciting man she had ever met. She sniffed. Her tears increased.

“How am I going to get through this evening without losing myself in the process?” she muttered
. “How can I protect my heart, which is his already?”

When had it ceased being a game?
The outcome of their encounter tonight could only mean heartache for her. She should stay far, far away from Simon Harrington. She got up and paced the length of her room as the thought of reneging on her bet passed briefly through her mind. The excitement of the new experience suddenly did not appear to be worth the price she’d have to eventually pay.

“What have I done?” she whispered, still pacing
. She already craved more of his kisses. If she played his game tonight, she most likely would be left yearning for him after he was gone. And he would be gone…soon…as soon as his case was finished.

She was always the one who left them yearning
. When had the tables turned on her? Her thoughts then flashed to all those men she had had at her feet. How many of her admirers felt as she did now? That thought made her cry harder as she sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands, remembering. How could she have caused such pain? Until this moment, she’d never understood what others had tried to tell her. It truly had been a game to her, making her feel pretty low. In the process of her game-playing, she was sure she’d stepped on countless men’s hearts without a care.

She wiped the tears off her
face and rose from the bed. There was no use in crying over something she couldn’t change.

While dressing for dinner, she
resolved to change how she dealt with men in the future, especially Bradford Tyler. She would also have her night with Simon, despite how painful it would be to see him go. Once gone, she would turn to Bradford, if he still wanted her. He wasn’t Simon, but he was a good man and he loved her. She would try hard to love him back.

Giselle spent an hour reading to the children before
making her way downstairs to dinner in better spirits. She sensed Simon’s focus as she strolled over to Minnie and Maizie and gave them both a kiss on the cheek.