Her Chance Encounters (8 page)

Stopping to consider her words, he raised his head. Then he shook it confidently. "Nah, I don't feel any remorse. You?" Returning to his task, he doubted she was ready to admit fault for going upstairs yet. Lucky for her, he was a guy dedicated to seeing this through until she did. If she did not have the sense to look out for her own safety, he would do it for her. Sooner or later, she'd catch on. He had faith in her.

Damn him. He was over reacting. Nothing had happened when she was upstairs... besides meeting a seventy-year-old ghost. All right, maybe she should have waited to go upstairs until it was safe. But did he have to punish her as if she were a naughty child? She longed to yell at him to 'use your words’!

Instead she grunted in frustration. "Sorry I ever fell in love with a bastard like you," she shouted in between groans. Surely she had to love the man. How else could she explain allowing herself to get into this situation yet again?

Chance halted mid stroke. "You love me?"

Adrienne cursed herself. She really needed to learn to control her mouth when this jerk was around. Pursing her lips tight, she refused to answer. The spanking continued after a few seconds. "In the future, I will enjoy reminding you that you admitted you loved me first. Right now, I'll just satisfy myself with showing you how much I care. Upstairs is off limits until I know it's safe."

His hand continued assaulting her ass. Without the panties, he could indeed monitor his work. Priding himself on paying attention to detail, he insured every inch of her beautiful ass was a delightful shade of cherry red. She loved him, he smiled. Now all he had to do was get her to follow his lead, and he would not have to worry about her putting herself in danger all the time.

Why she let Chance Breaux make love to her that night, Adrienne would never understand. Instead of kicking him out the moment he let her down, she let him carry her to their bedroom. Their bedroom? When did she start thinking of it as theirs? This man was infiltrating her life completely. At least his lovemaking helped her forget the pain in her ass. Lying flat on his back, he entered her from beneath. He was good.

Even on his back, he managed to slam into her in a rhythm that had her gasping for air. She didn’t even notice when his hands dug into her ass to keep her in place as he thrust deep inside her. Just when her channel started flooding, Chance reached his hand to rub her nub. Adrienne's control snapped and she screamed as her orgasm overtook her control. Even in the bedroom, he managed to gain her submission, she realized. Adrienne could not understand why that thrilled her, but it did. Falling asleep in his arms, she wondered why Chance had to ruin being perfect by having a spanking fetish.

As they dozed, a cool breeze blew across the bedroom. Turning her face into Chance's chest, Adrienne sought to escape the odor that accompanied the cool air. Glittery specks swirled outside the door, gathering in a whirlwind. Cherice materialized from its center. Walking quietly to where the woman slept, the little girl reached over to stroke Adrienne's black hair.

"I knew you would come back to me, Mommy. I do not understand why you always want to hide from me. Why are you pretending to be somebody else? I will not let you leave me behind again."

"Horseback riding? I don't even know how to ride a horse." Adrienne could not believe he really planned to show her around the property today. She was sure he was bluffing last night. How ironic she wore her Western boots today.

"Just another thing I'll have to teach you. I am the world's most patient teacher." Chance smiled innocently.

One hour later and one mile into the thick swamp of River Oaks, Chance was forced to admit this trip was not thought out properly. First of all, Adrienne's already sore backside kept bouncing on her hard saddle, and she muttered grumpy complaints the entire time. "I should have gone shopping with Lenore. This is ridiculous."

"Stop pulling back on the reigns like that. We won't get anywhere unless you ease up on your hold." Chance was finding it hard to be very patient with her after repeating that same direction no less than ten times.

Jerking in her saddle, Adrienne shrieked causing her horse to get skittish. "Was that an alligator, Chance? Oh, my goodness! Look at that huge rat over there!"

"It's a nutria, Adrienne. Calm down. If you look to your left up ahead, you'll see a family of armadillos, too."

"Where the hell are you taking me, Chance Breaux?"

"Welcome to the rest of River Oaks, babe. This is your backyard. How do you like your pets?"

Adrienne tightened her hold on the reins even more. Her legs were clamped tightly to the sides of the horse, worried she would fall off and get attacked by the wildlife surrounding them. "Nice horse," she whispered over and over again, praying she would make it through this experience.

"Angel won't throw you off, babe."

"She won't get a chance," she muttered darkly. "Did the parish experience a lot of rain lately. The water here hasn't gone down much yet."

"This is a swamp, Adrienne. This water won't be going down anytime soon. I warned you that most of River Oaks was useless."

"Then why are you trying to get your hands on it?"

They reached a section of high ground. Chance dismounted and tied his horse on a low branch of a cypress tree. This was the spot he was looking for, just deep enough in the swamp to ensure returning to River Oaks for the night would be impossible. Poor Lenore would have a hell of a long wait if she showed up to take his woman shopping this evening.

Adrienne longed to get down, too, so her sore ass could get some relief. Yet she resisted the urge. There was no telling what creatures were waiting to attack. She turned her head side to side when Chance tried to reach for her. Hands on his hips, he waited for her to calm down.

Now that they were involved, Chance did not feel as reluctant to share his plans for River Oaks. He knew she would not use the information against him. "I could do a lot with this land, Adrienne. Ten years ago, I discovered the oil company could save millions of dollars by running a pipeline across this land. I drew up some papers to lease the land, but your uncle refused to even consider it. He refused access to this part of his property to anyone."

"So the mystery of why you want this land is finally revealed. Why didn't you just explain all this before?"

"Because I wanted to get the matter of this property settled before I started seducing you."

"I'd let you use the land," she offered. For some reason, she was not ready to part with the house yet. This nasty swamp was another matter. If she never stepped foot back here again, it would be too soon.

He whistled, surprised how easy getting her on board had been. "So you'll sell me the land."

"Sell? I was thinking more of leasing it to you, but give me some time, and I'll consider it."

Turning to throw his baseball cap on the ground, he tried to fight his frustration. "More time? Do you know any other words than 'give me more time'?"

"Get back on your horse so we can head back, Chance. This place creeps me out."

"It's too late to head back." Returning to his horse, he started unpacking some supplies he brought along.

"What do you mean, it's too late? Lenore is coming over to take me shopping later. This isn't funny, Chance. "

"It's supposed to be romantic, dammit." Two sleeping bags unfurled, and he started a fire. "Let me know when you're ready to get down. You can help me fix our supper before the sun goes down."

For the first time in her life, Adrienne wished she were even taller and heavier. She really wished she could spank Chance Breaux's ass for a change. "You are going to regret this," she promised, trying to dismount on her own. Her legs weren't strong enough to hold her up, and he ended up grabbing her before she fell on her face.

Walking her to sit by the fire, Chance helped her settle on one of the sleeping bags as the sun started to set. "I hope you like po-boys, babe."

They ate in silence. Adrienne tried to concentrate on thinking about poor Lenore waiting for her to go boot shopping. Damn him, Chance's presence kept disturbing her thoughts. Even when she wanted to punch him, he got to her. Some of the juices from his roast beef sandwich lingered on the side of his lips. How she longed to lick it off for him. Don't do it, she ordered herself. Think about school instead. Falling test scores. Budget cuts. Anything but Chance Breaux's sexy lips.

Oh, hell. They were stuck out here with nothing to do. She launched herself at him, causing him to fall backwards. Her tongue reached to capture the roast beef sauce. Chance was pleasantly surprised, but decided he preferred being in control. Rolling her over, he took the lead. Before long, they were scaring off the wildlife with their urgent lovemaking.

This time he positioned her on her knees, her head and hands resting on the ground. Kneeling behind her, he entered her slowly, allowing her to feel every inch of him sinking inside. Then he eased out slowly, only to slam back inside. His hands gripped her hips tight, pulling her back to meet him as he increased the pace. Then one hand reached to the center of her backside, and he pulled her cheeks apart. One long finger caught some of the juices collecting where they were joined. Then he circled around the virgin area. She stiffened against him, but his other hand reached around to rub on her nub.

The finger near her puckered hole slowly inched inside until it passed the first ring of resistance. Chance rewarded her by increasing the speed of his rubbing and thrusting. "Come for me, baby. I want you to explode."

Something about the position, the submission, the forbidden passage being breached sent Adrienne soaring to a new high she did not know existed. She screamed as her release washed over her, every nerve in her body exploding. Suddenly Chance slammed deep inside her, groaning aloud at his own release.

"Damn, woman. You might be the death of me. Making love to you just keeps getting better and better." He pulled her up and kissed her lips. Then he fell on his back, looking sated and exhausted.

"Shouldn't we get dressed before we fall asleep?" Adrienne asked, poking Chance in his flat stomach when he did not answer fast enough.

"No one is going to see us, except for animals. I think your loud screaming sent most of them away. Ouch!" She jabbed him in the side.

"We better not be disturbed by any giant lizards tonight." Pulling herself closer to the warmth of the large man, Adrienne ran her fingers across his chest muscles. Sighing, she felt content.

"Haven't I promised I will always take care of you? Go to sleep, now. You'll need your strength. I plan on making love to you again before the sun rises."

Adrienne's dreams were filled with images of Chance and Cherice. Each seemed to be pulling her in opposite directions. To satisfy one, she had to hurt the other. Her heart belonged to Chance now. But how could she turn her back on the small child?

In her nightmare, Adrienne found herself back in the small rowboat floating on the Mississippi River. The gay sound of the riverboat sounded in the distance. Someone on board was looking for her, but something was holding her back from reaching him. If she did not escape the hold, Adrienne realized she would die.

Suddenly, the air in the dark swamp grew deathly cold. Chance was awake and alert immediately, sensing danger. Pulling Adrienne's sleeping form closer to him, he noticed she seemed lost in a dream. A strong odor filled the campsite.

"What the hell is going on here?" he muttered.

"Cherice!" The mournful call pierced through the vegetation of the swamp. The masculine sound grew closer and closer. "Cherice, come back to me, honey."

Adrienne's eyes opened and she shot up into a sitting position. Chance shoved her behind his back as he stood up. The thick vegetation to their far right abruptly parted to reveal the dark shadow of a strange man. A scream died in Adrienne's throat as the figure slowly walked toward them. Chance instinctively moved to block his path. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?"

The face of the other man was distorted by the shadows of the night. The sun, rising slowly in the distance had not yet reached the campsite. Assuming a combative position, Chance assessed the threat of the man rapidly advancing on them. There was something familiar about the man, but he could not put his finger on it. Chance figured his opponent was slightly shorter and lighter than himself.

Adrienne pulled the sleeping bag over her naked frame. Tearing her eyes away from the figure walking toward them, she realized Chance was standing there, in all his glory, unconcerned he might be facing death in the same outfit he was born in. "What's going on, Chance?"

"I'll let you know the minute I figure that out." He sounded calm, but his tone was low and forbidding. "Listen carefully, babe. I want you to put on your clothes quickly and get on your horse. Just point Angel south. She knows the way home."

"I'm not leaving you behind," Adrienne insisted, starting to dress quickly. Maybe she could help sort out this confusion. "This is private property, sir. You'll have to leave right now."

Adrienne took a few brave steps forward after yanking on her boots. Something about the feel of leather gave a person a surge of power. She planned to step beside Chance, but the aggravating man used his arm to keep her behind him.

"Get on that damn horse, Adrienne, or so help me I'll tan your hide the minute we escape this nightmare." Obviously, he stopped spanking her too soon last time. Maybe he needed to use something beside his hand to convey his message.

The threat was getting closer, so he pushed Adrienne several feet away so she would have a better chance of escaping. Then Chance started advancing on the other man, only stopping when they were a foot apart. "Okay, buddy," Chance growled, as the sun started seeping through the cypress trees. “That's far enough."

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Chance was finally able to get a good look at the man's face. Blinking several times, he wondered if there were swamp gases around, because he had to be hallucinating. "Stanislaus?"

Adrienne screamed when she noticed the dark shadow of the man walk right through Chance's solid frame. Why didn't she get on her horse like Chance ordered? The strange man kept walking toward her, his dull, lifeless eyes burning holes into her.

"Where is my daughter? I will not let you take her from me. You can have your damn lover, but Cherice stays here with me."

Chance came up behind the man, anger pulsing through every nerve in his body, the need to protect his woman coursing through his veins. He reached to grab hold of the misty man who was overshadowing his woman. His hands grasped thin air as the sun's rays filled the patch where they stood. His momentum sent Chance crashing into Adrienne. Landing near the horses, he recovered quickly and helped her up. Raising her up so she could mount Angel, he started to gain his own saddle before he realized he was still undressed.

Snatching his clothes, he dressed, never letting Adrienne out of his sight in case another threat appeared. They rode back to River Oaks in near silence. The image of Stanislaus filled both their thoughts. Adrienne was determined to protect Cherice and Chance from the horrible man. For his part, Chance was in a poor temper, now that he could no longer easily dismiss the presence of ghost. How the hell was he supposed to protect Adrienne from something he could not even put his hands on? Believing he was in battle against a ghost did not sit well with Chance. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be any other logical explanation.