Harnessed Passions (19 page)

Julia's arms slid around his neck without
her conscious thought as his tongue invaded her mouth. She held
onto Daniel's broad shoulders for dear life. She couldn't help but
be frightened when he had painted such a dramatic picture for her;
but to feel this kind of gentleness, this kind of passion, was just
too real to keep the memories of his story alive.

She felt his tongue trace the soft flesh of
her bottom lip, tugging and nibbling until she couldn't breathe.
She heard a soft warning sounding in her head, ordering her to push
him away. He was the enemy, the traitor, he was the reason she
couldn't think or breathe. He was...incredible. He was doing such
wicked things to her, that she could no longer think of anything
except his arms and his lips.

Daniel tilted her head a little further in
order to deepen their kiss as his tongue burned to life the flames
of desire that ran along her spine, traveling lower to her most
hidden regions. God, he was magnificent. She had never known that
wanting someone and hating them at the same time, could feel so
wonderful.

The urge to touch her was overwhelming,
controlling his actions. He had to feel her, and taste every inch
of her delicate body. He pulled the top of her bodice down, tugging
her petticoat along with it, until her full round breasts were
exposed to his eager fingers. She gasped against his lips, as he
massaged the tender flesh, playing with the pebble hard nipple that
begged for his attention.

His tongue began to play havoc with her
senses, thrusting in her mouth with an alarming rhythm that made
her knees weaken and her head spin. His touch left her panting for
air against his mouth as he slowly moved his lips across her neck
to her collarbone then quickly clamped over one erect nipple. The
feeling was pure pleasure as her veins turned to molted lava. She
wanted to know more, she needed to feel…what? She had never gone
this far with a man before.

A soft knock at the door brought the couple
slowly out of the stupor they had dove into, bringing with it a
distance that was unwanted. Daniel stood there watching Julia, his
eyes smoldered his desire, devouring her beauty. He didn't know
what had caused them to separate; all he knew was the woman in
front of him was looking at him with a hunger he hadn’t seen in a
woman’s eyes in many long years; she was begging to him, alive with
need and he desperately wanted to answer her calling. His desire
for her had gone far beyond wanting; he had to have her, all of her
and he didn't care what the outcome would be.

Louise pushed the door open slowly, but
seeing the two embraced and hearing her daughter's soft moans of
passion, made her back out of the room quietly. She pulled the door
closed, praying they hadn't heard or seen her, then tip toed
quietly to her room, a maternal smile creasing her aging features.
She knew they needed to be alone, and she knew they probably didn't
notice that they had been spied on. She only hoped they would
continue what they were doing until they were both lost in each
other’s love to notice how far they had gone.

Daniel and Julia stood for a long time, just
staring at each other. They had heard a noise, but hadn't bothered
investigating its source; it didn't seem important at the moment.
The heat of their kiss had generated a number of fantasies and
daydreams they couldn't walk away from.

As he slowly began to pull her to him again,
anxious to resume the passion and turn those dreams into reality,
Julia found the strength to push away. She couldn't think clearly;
she could barely breathe beyond short pants. All she could feel was
a tingling sensation that seemed to control her mind and heart, but
the warning signals in her brain were going off at an alarming
rate. She needed some distance between them; she needed to put this
man as far away from her as possible in order to regain her
composure.

Slowly she paced her way to the doors that
opened out onto the veranda. Her legs shook and her head was
swimming as she leaned against the wooden framework. It took a few
moments for the cool evening air to register the state of her
attire and she quickly pulled the top of her dress back up where it
belonged, hiding her embarrassment in the shadows of the room.

Daniel stared at her as she stood with her
back toward him. He didn't attempt to follow her or to speak. He
knew they both needed a few moments to collect their thoughts and
reign in their emotions. He couldn’t help but worry that she was
regretting her loss of control, as he mentally scolded himself for
going so far.

Julia on the other hand, was certain it was
just the images of his warning for what was happening in the bunk
house that controlled her actions and made her feel like her head
was in a fog. But he had a talent that was unlike anything she’d
ever experienced before; his tongue was a dangerous weapon and he
knew exactly how to use it to slice through her resistance.

"I think maybe we should talk," she heard
him say, though his words were barely above a husky whisper. His
voice was deep and shook slightly with emotion; his tone filled
with such sincerity that she found herself turning and face him.
Julia saw a mixture of emotions dance across his face; passions,
desire, regret, fear; it made her frown as she thought about what
had just happened.

His face was slightly flushed - as she knew
hers was - and as she glanced at him leaning against the edge of
the desk, the evidence of his arousal made her flush hotter. She
turned her head quickly avoiding the eyes that were studying her
with just as much interest. If only she could look at something
that was just as interesting, but all she could think of was the
length of his legs, the breadth of his chest; the blue of his eyes.
There was no denying it any longer, the man was the master of her
heartstrings and he played them with a tune that made her weak with
desire.

"I owe you an apology," she heard herself
saying, although the voice was shaky and didn't sound at all like
her own. "I seem to have acted irrationally and I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for,
Princess," he told her, trying not to touch her as he walked to
where she stood. "I'm the one who acted like a love starved alley
cat." Several seconds ticked by before either of them spoke again.
The urge to hold her was so powerful; Daniel was forced to tuck his
hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out to her.

""Umm..."..." she began,
glancing around the room.
Think of
something to say Julia
, she cursed herself,
but nothing would come to mind. Being this close to the man, made
her pulse race and her body long for things she couldn’t
understand.

"Right," he said, aware of the awkwardness.
"We need to make some decisions." He knew of only one way to break
this spell between them. He had to make her angry; he had to make
her boiling mad with him; that would keep him at bay for the rest
of the evening. It was the only way to bring a sense of order to
their current condition.

"What do you mean?" Julia was certain he was
going to ask her if she wanted to go to his room or if she
preferred him in hers. Either way would be fine with her, but the
next words out of his mouth took her completely off guard.

"Your father left me half of this land and
I've decided I want it all," he lied, knowing he was on the verge
of causing her to explode. "The only way I can get what I want, is
for you to give it to me."

"You what?" she asked, her temper waking
with a start as she blinked her eyes repeatedly to comprehend what
he had said.

"Look Julia, I know you don't want the
stables and you can't wait to get rid of it. I want what you have,"
he told her boldly, nearly adding exactly what it was he did want.
"I can't have it unless you consent to give it to me."

"And just how the hell do you suggest I do
that, Mr. Browning?" Oh God, he thought, she was calling him Mr.
Browning again. Maybe he went too far with his attempt to break
their spell, he thought, but it was too late to turn back now.

"The only way you can give me your share of
the land - according to your father's will - is to marry me."
Julia's mouth dropped open in disbelief and her eyes grew as round
as saucers. Several moments passed before she closed her mouth, her
jaw tightening as she ground her teeth together in frustration, her
fists clenched at her sides.

"You arrogant, self-center,
egotistical..."

"Watch it Princess," he warned in a deep
voice. "Don't say anything, I'll have to make you regret."

"Bastard!" That did it. Now Daniel knew he
had accomplished his task. The spell was broken and she was back to
being the pig headed, stubborn woman he knew he could never resist.
Better now before he took her to his bed, than suffer the regret
and embarrassment come morning.

"Listen to me," he began, staring at her
full faced, no longer feeling the need to avoid looking directly at
her. "You don't want anything to do with this land, right?"

"So?"

"So, by marrying me, you wouldn't have to
worry about it. It would be my concern. I'd have the headaches that
went along with it, not you. You could do whatever it is your heart
desires."

"Does your proposal also include my
returning to Boston?"

"No," Daniel said quickly, warning himself
to think fast. He couldn't let her go once they were married and he
knew it. He had to come up with some reason to keep her at his
side. "If the news that you had moved to Boston without me ever got
out, it would be grounds for any number of people to contest the
will. We could lose it all, and the stables would be in probate for
years to come."

Julia thought for a few minutes. He did make
sense, but damn it, she wanted to go back to Boston! She wanted as
far away from this insufferable man as possible, even if it meant
losing everything she inherited. At least her mother and brother
would still have their inheritance.

As though able to read her mind, Daniel
quickly added, "Your whole family would lose, Julia. The entire
contents of your father's will could be jeopardized. You'd be
responsible for your mother and brother being destitute; the
servants, the stables, your extended family and relatives. Are you
willing to risk that?"

"No," she admitted after a moment to mull
his question over. She couldn't allow her family to live on the
streets just because she was stubborn and selfish, but the thought
of Daniel being homeless didn't discourage her much, or at least
she told herself it didn't.

"I won't marry you, Mr. Browning," she told
him firmly. "There has to be some other way out of this mess."

"If there were, Harold would have mentioned
it. Trouble is it's a completely legal agreement. Your father made
it very clear there would be no way out of the situation short of
marriage...or death. And I'm not about to die just to accommodate
you."

"Nor will I give you the same consideration.
But could you agree to have a platonic marriage, Mr. Browning?" she
asked, pleased with herself for thinking so quickly. The look on
Daniel's face was priceless. He hadn't counted on her coming up
with a condition of her own.

"By platonic, you mean we wouldn't share the
same room?" he asked, feeling as though his plans were starting to
backfire in his face.

"I mean, Mr. Browning, that we wouldn't be
sharing the same bed. The marriage would go unconsummated and
unchallenged. Can you agree to that?"

"You're asking a great deal, Princess. I
could divorce you for refusing to share our marriage bed, or I
could always just take what was legally mine."

"But you won’t.” She had him there. “If you
can't agree to my condition, Mr. Browning, then I can't agree to
marry you. Also, even if we should marry, I keep my portion of the
stables. I have equal say in the business and equal share in the
profits. Agreed?" She had him, she knew she did. He would never
agree to marry her now, or for that matter, ever ask her again.
Hell, he'd probably avoid her like the plague from now on.

"I thought you didn't want this land?" he
asked with a narrowing of his blue eyes.

"I don't, but as long as I have to stay
here, I want to know what's going on and make certain you're not
milking every last cent out of my half of the inheritance."

"You don't give me much credit for
integrity, Princess."

"I haven't seen much of a display of it to
judge whether you even know the meaning of the word."

Daniel eyed the woman for a long moment,
considering what she had said. If he were to force the issue and
take her to his bed, there would be no way she could refuse. A wife
would have no charge against her husband for taking what was
rightfully his, but he knew he couldn't force her either. Not
consciously at least, yet the thought was tempting, especially now.
She looked so smug and proud for thinking up a scheme she was
certain would work, but he was a man of many talents and even more
surprises. A little wooing, a few whispered words of passion at
just the right moment and presto! She'd be tethered to his
headboard in nothing flat. A prospect in itself, that proved an
intriguing pursuit.

The only real drawback was he honestly
didn't want her portion of the land. Hell, he didn't want his own
for that matter. He was a lawyer; that was his life and what he
lived for, but he could allow Julia to worry about the financial
end of the stables. The urge to possess and protect her was too
overwhelming for sane thought. He couldn't say no, regardless of
the rules she made.

"I agree to your conditions, Princess," he
told her, relishing in the look of utter shock on her beautiful
features. She hadn’t expected him to agree, and for that he was
pleased. "I'll have your mother make the necessary arrangements in
the morning, and Harold can draw up the papers to keep you as half
owner of the stables. We should be married by the time the week is
over."