GoldLust (6 page)

When tomorrow came, James showed up in Emma’s camp just
about sundown.

So much for her plans to stay away from the man.

“Let me help you with that.” He grabbed the shovel out of
her hands before she had the chance to say no.

“I don’t need your help.” She said the words out of pride,
but the truth was she was tired, ready to quit digging for the day and the fact
that he offered to help didn’t hurt a damn thing. Nobody would know, nobody
would care.

Only her pride didn’t see it that way. Her pride wanted to
tell him to stop, tell him she could do it on her own. Which she could.

But watching James dig, move more dirt in a few minutes than
she could move in close to an hour, was not only impressive, but also…nice.

She didn’t have to be against letting him help her or talk
to her or touch her. None of it was an actual problem. The only real problem
she had was the lack of gold and not knowing how the hell she would survive
another winter here if she didn’t find any. Her time with James could be a
pleasant break from worrying about that. He could be her pleasant distraction.

One Month Later

It was midday when Emma made her way to James’ camp. Early,
even for her. She’d somehow been finding her way there every evening, usually
just before dark. But today she was discouraged, tired and willing to admit the
only thing she really wanted to do out in the Alaskan wilderness was him.

She should be back at her claim, searching for gold, at
least until closer to sundown. There was one big problem with that. Emma had
become completely convinced there was no gold.

It was halfway through the summer and no one who had claims
anywhere near hers had found any gold either. Same thing as the summer before,
and the summer before that, and she was ready to give up.

Emma watched James dig in the dirt as she walked closer.
Strong muscles worked to move the earth, muscles she knew would feel good under
her fingertips again.

A branch snapped and he stopped his work to turn in her
direction.

“Well, you’re sure a sight for sore eyes.” James’ deep voice
growled out the words and a shiver shot down her spine.

“You say that every day.” He did, and she liked hearing it
every time. She liked being appreciated by James way more than she probably should.

“I mean it every day.” He grabbed Emma around the waist,
pulled her against the solid muscle of his body. “You are the best thing that’s
happened to me this summer.” James pressed his hot lips to hers. “The only good
thing.”

His words were a little too honest, but the way he kissed
her made it all seem to disappear into the background.

James knew what she wanted, what she needed, and didn’t have
any problem giving into
his
needs. Why should she?

Because she was a woman, and too sensible for her own good
sometimes.

James wrapped his hand around the back of her head, twisted
his fingers in her hair and kissed Emma hard. Tongues tangled, and heat pooled
between her legs.

Even after coming over here every day, her body finding
release time and time again, she couldn’t stop the affect he had on her. She
couldn’t stop the intense urges that surged through her body every time he
touched her.

Emma wrapped her hands around James’ neck, giving into the
pleasure, giving herself to him. Her body knew exactly what it wanted, even
when her mind tried to resist.

“You’re here a little early today.” His grin let her know
that he was okay with that fact. Not that he would keep his true emotions
hidden. He wasn’t that kind of guy, and she appreciated that about him more
than she expected to. It was nice to never have to guess what he was thinking,
what he was feeling. James putting it all on the table gave her the freedom to
not overthink things.

“Were you busy?” she asked just to be polite.

“I’m never too busy for you.” He let one hand wander up her
side and across her breast. The motion made her nipple go hard instantly.

“And I look forward to seeing your body in the light of
day.” He flicked his thumb across her nipple again and a jolt shot through her.

The man knew how to touch her just right.

James moved down to kiss her neck, to the sensitive area he
knew she loved to be kissed, and his hands worked to undo and push her pants to
the ground. She didn’t fight it, didn’t resist the one thing she truly wanted
at this moment in time.

He quickly slipped her shirt off her shoulders and removed
her undergarments so she was standing there completely naked, with just the
warmth of the sun on her skin.

James took a step back, let his eyes drift down her body. It
made her feel a little self-conscious, but the way his eyes narrowed, showing
his appreciation at seeing her in all her naked glory, made that go away. And
it was replaced by pure lust.

“You, sir, have way too many clothes on.” Emma didn’t know
why she called him sir. She didn’t like the power the word gave a man. But
calling him that right now didn’t seem to take anything away from her. He only
had as much power as she gave him, and he used that power in so many
pleasurable ways, she didn’t mind giving it to him.

“I think you may be right.” He chuckled and worked to undo
his pants as Emma tugged his shirt up and over his head until he was standing
in front of her in all his naked masculine glory. Muscles over muscles flexed
with every movement.

“I usually am.” She said the words and then cringed. There
was one big thing she hadn’t been right about. The gold.

“There are more important things than being right.” He
grabbed her hand and placed it on his cock. She let her fingers run down the
thick, veined length of James, let her fingers sink into the coarse hair around
his balls and rolled them in her hand the way she knew drove him crazy.

“What is more important than being right?” She wanted to
know where his priorities lay, wanted to know everything about James.

“Being beautiful.” He kissed her shoulder, nipping at her
skin lightly with his teeth. “And smart.”

James moved his kisses downward, to her breasts, circling
one nipple with his tongue and then sucking it into his mouth.

She shouldn’t like it so much that he thought she was
beautiful, shouldn’t care that he liked that she was smart. This was only
supposed to be a physical relationship and a friendship, but it felt like so
much more than that now.

“And you’re the strongest goddamn woman I know.” He said the
words with a groan as she stroked his cock again, but did he realize the
torment they caused her? Did he know that she was falling in love with him?
That every time he touched her she fell deeper into this swirling abyss where
love and pleasure collided? Did he feel the same way, or still see them as just
friends?

James moved his mouth over to torment her other nipple,
circling it and then sucking it solidly into the heat and wetness of his mouth.

Her quim throbbed for him, needed his cock. Again. Now.

James moved back up and his mouth ravaged hers, hungry,
needy, mirroring everything she felt for him. He pushed her backward as he
kissed her until she was pressed against the rough bark of a tree.

“Turn around,” he commanded.

Emma did and put her hands against the tree to steady
herself.

“That’s right. You’re probably going to need to hang on.”
James wrapped his arms around her so he could grasp a breast in each one. He
squeezed the soft flesh and tugged at her nipples until the pleasure and pain
were so intermingled she couldn’t tell which was which, couldn’t tell which was
causing the wetness to rush to her opening. But it didn’t really matter.

Emma couldn’t think about what was right or good or smart
when he kissed her, when he touched her like this. All she could focus on was
the need, just below the surface, and too strong to resist.

“Mmmmm.” Her moan echoed in the woods around them but she
didn’t care. There was no one around to hear.

James spread her legs, readying her for his cock. He rubbed
his length against her ass and she pressed against him, needing more, needing
his cock pounding into her hard and fast. Now.

He placed his cock at her entrance. She was so wet, so ready
for him, every inch of skin on her body tingled in anticipation.

And then he slammed into her in one long stroke, holding his
cock deep inside. Every muscle tensed around it.

He pulled out, leaving her empty for just a second before
plunging in hard and fast again.

Emma adjusted her hands on the tree trunk, held on tight as
James slammed into her again and again, his thrusts bringing her higher and
higher until she couldn’t focus on anything. The forest around her became one
big blur.

James pinched both her nipples as he thrust into her again.

It was so intense, too much to take as the pleasure erupted
inside her. Her entire body tensed as the waves rolled through her.

James groaned, slammed into her one more time and held his
cock deep inside her as his heat shot into her depths. His hands were still on
her breasts, holding each one solidly as his body shook again, emptied itself
and then finally relaxed.

“Touching you, doing this feels so right.” His words were
slow, relaxed.

“Ummhmm.” she agreed, but there was more to consider than
what felt right. She needed to consider her future, and as much as her body
wanted, James wouldn’t be a part of it. Not for much longer anyway.

She needed to move on, stop living this dream. There was no
gold. There was no reason for her to stay any longer.

“This friendship thing is working out very well.” His voice
showed his contentment with their situation, but her stomach turned.

He didn’t feel the same way she did. He didn’t need anything
more than this and she shouldn’t want anything more from a man like James. She
had to stay away from him to keep any sensibility. Her life couldn’t continue
like this. Something had to change.

The next evening Opal and Emma sat in chairs at opposite
ends of the living room, each with a book in hand. It was a comfortable
situation. An unexpected one too. If someone had told Emma three months ago
she’d be sitting and reading in the same room as a prostitute, she would have
laughed at them.

Emma looked up to see Kate bounce through the doorway, a
smile beaming from ear to ear.

“What happened to you?” Kate was such a sweet girl, and Emma
was glad to see a smile on her face and a bounce in her step again.

“Just finished another great day at work.” She grinned and
it was obvious that there was something other than just work going on between
Kate and Carter, the man who ran the hardware store, but Emma wasn’t going to
say anything. Kate would talk about it when she was ready. “I’m just going to
freshen up a little bit and then go back to Carter’s house.”

“Have fun.” Emma said, and meant it. Kate was a sweet girl,
and she deserved happiness.

Several minutes later Kate bounced back down the stairs and
out the door.

Emma and Opal sat alone in the quiet of the house. Not for
long though, because Opal’s customers would start coming soon. Emma would
retreat into her bedroom and put cotton in her ears to drown out the noise. She
didn’t want anything reminding her of James and the pleasure touching him could
bring. She couldn’t have that, couldn’t keep him any longer.

“What are you going to do when the summer ends?” Emma said,
not wanting to think about the future, but she couldn’t go on much longer
without some sort of plan. She had enough money to either last through the
winter or move. She couldn’t deceive herself any longer. The smart thing would
be to make a change while the town was still booming, get out while the getting
was good.

“I haven’t really thought about it yet.” Opal marked the
page in her book and set it down. “I’ll probably stick around here, got nowhere
else I need to be. What about you?”

Emma thought for a minute, but she knew what she had to do.
“I’m going to have to leave. I’ve spent enough time and money on this dream.
It’s time to let it go.” She could hear the disappointment in her voice even
though she tried to hide it.

Her comment must have piqued Opal’s interest because the
woman now sat on the edge of her chair watching Emma. It was obvious a plan was
rolling around in that mind of hers.

“Would you be interested in selling the house? I would love
to buy it from you. I’d be willing to pay you whatever the fair market value
is.” Opal wrapped a blanket around her legs and grinned. “I’ve never had a
place of my own.”

Selling the house to Opal would make things easier for Emma.
She would have enough money for a good start somewhere else, but she hated
facing the reality of leaving here. She would miss Alaska, but what else was
there to do? Emma had to face the facts. There was no gold on her claim and she
was soon going to have one more mouth to feed. She rubbed her belly and glanced
out the window.

There was no definite proof that she was pregnant, no
bulging belly and she’d only missed one cycle, but in her bones she knew there
was a baby growing in there. She’d read enough about pregnancy to know the
signs. The nausea she felt every morning was only another fact to prove she
needed to get away from here, go someplace safe to raise her baby.

“Yes. I’ll sell you the house.” Emma had to go back home,
had to move closer to family. She was going to need all the help she could get
with the baby.

She hadn’t told James about being pregnant, but he’d made it
perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in children. “Alaska is no place for
those damn little rats.” Rats, he called them. No, she wouldn’t tell him about
her situation. He would live his life more peacefully up here if he didn’t
know, and she and the baby would be better off without interference from him.

* * * * *

Three weeks after agreeing to sell her house to Opal, Emma
hiked up the trail back to her claim. She needed to pick up a few of her
things. Oh hell, who was she kidding? She wouldn’t need any of her mining stuff
ever again. She was going to see James one last time to say goodbye. She should
just leave, send him a letter or something, make things easier, but she needed
to see him once more before she left. It was the right thing to do.

He was using his shovel to dig a hole in the black dirt near
the stream, wearing a long-sleeve shirt, but she knew exactly what the sexy
muscles looked like underneath.

Thinking about leaving him was harder than it should be.
She’d told him from the beginning she didn’t want a commitment, but that didn’t
mean she liked the fact that she would never see James again, that she would
never have him touch her again. As much as she hated to admit it, as much as
she tried to keep it from happening, a part of her had fallen in love with the
man.

He was focused on his work and didn’t even notice as Emma
stood and watched him for a few minutes. He stopped shoveling, wiped the sweat
off his forehead with the back of his hand and smiled when he spotted her.

“Hello, beautiful. What a pleasant surprise.” James walked
over and put his arms around her waist. “I thought you were going to spend a
few more days in town.”

It wasn’t going to be a pleasant surprise for long.

“To what do I owe this visit?” He pressed his lips to hers,
and she almost lost her nerve. She wanted to keep the good thing she had with
James. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. She couldn’t keep the whole
package.

“I want to talk to you.” She couldn’t lose her nerve, she had
to say goodbye.

“About?”

“James.” She paused and looked down at the ground. There was
only one way to do this. She had to be blunt. “I’m leaving.”

“When? Why?” His brows furrowed as he asked the questions
and they came out as more of an angry growl.

“In two days. There’s no gold here. You know that as well as
me. I can’t stay here doing this anymore.”

“You don’t have to leave.” He looked so disappointed, and
she wanted to wrap her arms around him and say she would stay with him forever,
that everything was going to be okay.

But she couldn’t do that, couldn’t lie to him.

“You could stay with me. I’m going to start working at the
new mill. I’ll need someone to take care of my laundry.” He smiled sheepishly.

She knew he was half joking, but that was exactly why she
couldn’t stay with him. He would expect her to settle down, and cook and clean
and serve his every whim, and that’s not what she wanted in life. She still
needed adventure, she wouldn’t settle for a man who would take her for granted.

And then there was the baby to think about.

She was probably going to have to move back in with her
family, but at least she would be with people who would love her
unconditionally, people who would support her raising a child. She would never
hear the end of their harassment for getting pregnant by a prospector, but they
had the finances to help her out, and she owed it to the little person inside
her to give him or her the chance to grow up in some kind of stable
environment.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay with you. I need adventure,
excitement in my life.” She couldn’t tell him the whole truth, couldn’t tell
him about the baby. “I can’t sit around waiting to do your laundry. I would
resent you for it, neither of us would be happy.”

“So this is it? I won’t ever see you again?” He slammed the
shovel into the ground.

“Yeah, I guess this is it.” She couldn’t look in his eyes,
couldn’t stand the fact that she was hurting James.

“Well, fine. Go do whatever makes you happy. Forget about
everyone else. I knew it was only a matter of time before you walked away.” He
growled and picked his shovel back up, taking his anger out on the dirt below.

She turned her back to him and started walking down the
hill. To hell with her stuff. There wasn’t anything of value anyway. Emma just
needed to leave, to get away from James, get away from the heartbreak she was
causing them both.

He knew she made no commitment to him, what right did he
have to be angry about her decision? It was her life. She had the right to do
whatever she wanted with it. Emma didn’t owe him a damn thing.