Wilder Than the Rest: MacLarens of Fire Mountain (15 page)

His hands moved to her shoulders, then her back, to unbutton her gown, pushing the cap sleeves down her arms enough to allow her dress to drift to the floor and pool at her feet. Her trusting gaze never wavered from his as he pulled back to look at her, his eyes darkening to an intense midnight blue. He pulled her to him once more, his mouth reclaiming hers.

Mollie was lost. She couldn’t seem to fight the emotions, the heat, the thrumming of her body as his hands and mouth moved over her. She pulled him tighter, feeling his strong, hard body, and wanted to tear the buttons from his shirt and run her hands over his taut chest.

“Mollie.” His voice was a mere whisper, ragged and thick. “I want you. Tonight. Now.”

“I want you, too.” She pulled his mouth back to hers. Their kiss intensified until neither could stop the surging emotions that sparked between them.

Pierce broke contact and took a deep breath. “Are you sure? Tell me you’re sure this is what you want. If it’s not, I’ll leave.” His voice was urgent, almost a plea.

She looked into eyes, blazing with passion, and knew this was right. “Yes, I’m sure.”

He lifted her into his arms, placed her on the large pillowed bed, and straightened as his gaze wandered over her. She was stunning, more beautiful than any woman he’d ever known, and he’d wanted her since the first day they’d met. He’d take it slow and ensure that neither of them ever forgot this night.

******

“You should have told me.” Pierce’s steel-edged voice cut through the crisp morning air as he shoved his hands into the arms of his shirt and tucked it into his pants.

Mollie sat stone still in bed after the best night of her life, her hands clasped firmly in her lap, knuckles white, feeling totally miserable.
Yes,
she thought,
I should have told him. Now it was too late.

He walked to the bed, rested both hands on the mattress, and leaned toward her. “That’s not something you keep from a man.” He pushed away, grabbed his belt, vest, and jacket, and walked toward the door, hesitating before he turned back to her, his eyes conveying the regret she was certain he felt.

Her heart sank.

“We’ll marry.” His statement was terse, inviting no argument.

Mollie’s jaw dropped, but she quickly regained her wits and jumped from the bed, placing both hands on her hips and glaring at him. “We certainly will not.”

She could see his jaw work and his eyes narrow. Pierce took a few determined steps forward, stopping directly in front of her, his eyes sparking.

“We will marry, Mollie, make no mistake about it.” Satisfied that he’d made his point, he turned to leave.

“No. I will not marry you and you can’t force me to. I’m a grown woman, I have a choice.”

“Yes, you are a grown woman, and you made that choice when you accepted me into your bed knowing you were a virgin.”

This time, he did open the door and started into the hallway.

“You don’t love me.”

Pierce turned back to her, the edginess in his voice gone, replaced by acceptance. “It doesn’t matter.”

He left and stormed to his room, slamming the door behind him. Picking up the nearest object, a glass paper weight, he threw it against the wall, sending pieces of the ornament shooting across the floor.

******

“What do you mean Owen wasn’t available? Noah indicated he would be dispatched to help if needed. I’d been led to believe he had no pending assignments.” Eva was livid, her eyes dancing with fury and her voice scolding.

“That changed.” Lee sat back in their carriage, determined to let Eva vent her hostility to him. She had nowhere to go, no other options. She just hadn’t realized it yet.

“Surely there must have been someone else if Owen wasn’t available. Doesn’t Noah understand that this simply can’t work?”

He remained silent.

“Lee?” Eva’s voice was firm, disgusted.

“Yes.”

“Did you hear what I said? We can’t possibly be convincing, not with our past.”

Lee stretched his legs out as much as was possible in the moving carriage, crossed his ankles, and settled his hands in his lap. “I would think our past is what would make it that much more believable.” His blithe response only served to fuel her outrage.

“I’d expect you to say that.” Her bitter sigh was accompanied by a flushed face, an indication of the true deterioration of her patience.

Lee dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. He was tired from the long trip, the work he’d done since his arrival, and most of all, tired of still being in love with his wife—ex-wife now. He’d loved no one before Eva, and didn’t believe the deep feelings he had for her could ever be duplicated with another. She was one of a kind, and for a short, exhilarating time, she’d been his.

Lee felt the carriage come to a stop outside the hotel and jumped out, reaching a hand up to Eva. She would have preferred to ignore the gesture, but the long dress and heels prevented her from scorning him completely. She grabbed his hand, navigated the two short steps, then released her grip as soon as both feet were firmly on the ground.

They walked up the stairs together before breaking off to return to their own rooms. She took out her key, and just before inserting it in the lock, glanced down the hall to where Lee was performing the same action, his eyes focused on the key in his hand. He turned his head and caught her watching him. He held her gaze a brief moment, made a mock salute, and entered his room.

Eva continued to stare at the empty spot in the hall where he’d stood then walked into her own room. She tossed her small handbag and wrap on the bed. Instead of removing her dress and meticulously securing it on a hanger, she fell back onto the bed and put an arm over her eyes.

Her heart had raced all night, ever since he’d walked up behind her and turned her world upside down. His deep, rich voice washed over her as it had all those years before, and her traitorous body had responded tonight the same as it had then. She’d often wondered how he was doing, if he’d changed or if he was still the most dangerously handsome man she’d ever met. To her disgust, he’d only improved.

It didn’t matter. Tomorrow, she’d send a scathing note to Noah, telling him in no uncertain terms that she’d leave if he didn’t find someone else, post haste. She knew there might not be another agent available. It would put her boss in a difficult position, but he’d set it all in motion when he’d approved Lee’s participation as her partner. Well, he would just have to find a solution.

******

Mollie sat on the bed, feeling bruised from Pierce’s firm admission that he didn’t love her. To make things worse, she’d known for a while that her heart belonged to the stubborn, cocky rancher turned federal agent. She’d hoped he might feel the same. Now she knew the truth.

She gripped the edge of the mattress and wondered what else she could have expected after encouraging him without disclosing her total lack of experience. Mollie couldn’t even throw the blame on how senseless he’d made her with his kisses, the way his warm, calloused hands worked magic on her body, setting her on fire, and making her feel like she would die from the sensations he provoked.

Even at the point where she thought her body would burst into flames, a warning flashed across her mind, pressing her to confide in Pierce before it was too late. She’d ignored it and was now faced with the outcome of her decision.

Mollie fell back onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling. He’d given her an ultimatum, not a choice. It wasn’t the usual demand to do something or else. No, he’d informed her they’d be married and left the room. She’d almost laughed at the thought that Penelope and all of their acquaintances in San Francisco already believed them to be married. How would they explain it? Then she’d sobered, realizing that he was absolutely serious. He demanded they marry and she, just as resolutely, would resist. Even if she wanted to marry her egotistical partner, she’d never agree to it unless he loved her, which he didn’t.

Though it had been at least an hour since he’d stormed from her room, Mollie could still hear the slamming of his bedroom door echoing in her mind. She’d abandoned the idea of running after him to explain, knowing he wouldn’t hear a word she said in his present mood. No, she’d wait until he calmed down enough to have a rational discussion, and quash his ridiculous idea of marriage in the process.

Chapter Fourteen

Pierce woke with a blinding headache. The sun was high in the sky, indicating it was already midday. He sat up and pushed his palms into his eye sockets, trying to ease the pain while doing his best to remember why he’d drank such a large amount of whiskey. Then reality hit.
Mollie … marriage.
He fell back on his pillow and groaned.

What had begun as the most incredibly intense sensual experience he’d ever had turned into a painful schooling in trust and honor. He couldn’t believe he’d let it happen after telling himself over and over to stay as far away from the alluring woman who commanded his dreams. And why had Mollie stayed silent, not giving a hint that this was her first time?

A part of him felt exhilarated, realizing he’d been her first. Another part felt betrayed. Her silence pushing him into a situation he neither expected, nor wanted. He’d always stayed away from married women and innocents, knowing both would lead to entanglements beyond what his traveling lifestyle could accept. His older brother, Connor, had been firm in his belief to take responsibility for bad decisions, and he’d drilled this same maxim into Pierce. As a young, single man, Pierce had thought it an honorable way to live.

His intentions to take it slow, make it last, were lost as he became consumed in his desire for her. The easy pace he’d envisioned had become frenzied as their need for each other increased. He remembered the sick surprise he’d felt when the truth was revealed—their bodies passionately entwined—already too late to reverse what had occurred.

He sat up, thinking of Mollie, and wondered if she’d accepted that they’d marry or would continue to fight him. It wasn’t so much the thought of marriage that bothered Pierce as much as marrying a woman who wasn’t in love with him. He knew his response to her about not loving her was a half-truth. He did care about her, most likely loved her, but he wasn’t prepared to confess the point. He would do the right thing, though, and marry her.

He dressed then walked the short distance to her bedroom and knocked. No answer. He tried once more. “Mollie, it’s Pierce. Are you in there?” There was still no answer.

Pierce descended the stairs and walked through the doors of the conservatory to find Mollie staring at a plate heaped with eggs and bacon. He stopped, watching her, and knew she hadn’t heard him enter. She continued to stare at the food, not making any attempt to lift her fork or give any indication she planned to eat.

He took a seat across from her and noticed her eyes lifting to his, haunted, turbulent, and wary.

“Good morning, Mollie.” His voice was soft, cautious, as he tried to gauge the best way to approach her.

She didn’t immediately respond. Without a word, she pushed from her chair and stood. “I won’t marry you,” she murmured and turned to leave.

“Sit down, Mollie.”

“I don’t have anything more to say.” She’d planned to discuss his ultimatum in a calm, even tone, explaining her reasons they couldn’t marry and letting him know that a future between them was impossible. Instead, all of her good intentions fell away as her eyes took in the incredibly handsome man before her and her traitorous body began to respond as it had last night. She crossed her arms, held them tight to her chest, and willed herself to relax.

“We don’t have to discuss what happened last night, not right now. What we do have to talk about is what we learned from the other guests, see if anything we heard is worth pursuing.” He kept his voice calm, low, and in what he hoped was a reasonable tone.

It was obvious that she was struggling with what had transpired between them the night before, perhaps regretted it, and even more likely, hated him. No matter. As far as he was concerned, the decision about their future was settled.

Mollie knew Pierce was right. They had a duty to continue their investigation and discover if the activities they uncovered were those of rational men looking for change, or something more sinister. Mollie would finish the assignment then do what she’d planned all along—accept her money and head east, leaving Pierce MacLaren and his demands behind. She sat down just as Penelope entered the room to announce that Miss Gagnon, Mr. Yarbrough, and Mr. Hatcher had arrived.

“Show them in,” Pierce instructed and stood. “Your timing is perfect,” he said to the other agents as they took seats around their table. He’d spoken with Lee briefly the night before, surprised to see him instead of the other agent Eva had mentioned.

“Lee Hatcher,” Lee said to Mollie, not having met her at the ball.

“It’s good to have you here, Lee.” Mollie smiled at the new addition to the team then glanced at Eva who sat stone-faced, her lips pinched into a thin line. Mollie turned her attention back to Lee. “Eva indicated we should expect a different agent.”

“I believe you are referring to Owen Kendall. Unfortunately, he wasn’t available. Noah sent me.”