Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) (37 page)

Her face was all polish and manners.
“Thank you, sir.” She smiled warmly for the agent and caught Seth’s
heated glare when he offered Hawk his drink.

The agent continued, “This will
forestall any legal attempts by Mr. Brannon. Now all we have to do
is make sure he doesn’t do something illegal, like kidnapping you.
I’ll file a formal injunction on your behalf, Mrs. Loflin.” Turning
then to include Seth, he continued, “I’m prepared to file a report
concerning the murders of Mrs. Loflins’ father and her people as
well.” His dark gaze returned to her. “The wheels of justice move
slow, but they do move. I’ll do everything within my power to see
that you are safe and justice is served.”

“
Please call me Celia.” She
batted her eyes for the agent.

Seth actually felt the pressure
building in his skull. He could have blown a cork at that point.
Still, he stood aside and fumed to himself. Patience, boyo,
patience, he reminded himself. The image of her thrown across his
knee materialized in his mind again.

At the agent’s suggestion, Celia and
Seth gave a formal statement concerning the murders. “I’ll file
your statements with my report for the sheriff and my office in New
Orleans. When the federal office in New Orleans receives my report,
a team of investigators will be sent to assist in the search for
those responsible.” He looked consolingly at her as he covered her
hand with his. “It’s just going to take time.”

Seth stepped close. With a possessive
hand on her shoulder, he reached down and took his wife’s other
hand in his. “We’ve had a long day and I’m sure my wife is tired.
I’d like to take her back to the hotel now.” With a stony eye for
the agent, Seth got her to her feet.

“
Certainly. I have to stop
by the Sheriff’s office and interview him as well. Afterward, I’ll
get a room at the hotel.” Hawk stepped to the hat rack and taking
his derby, placed it solidly on his head. He paused a moment as if
in concentration. “Mr. Loflin, do you feel confident that you can
protect your wife under these circumstances?”

“
Yes, she will be safe.”
Seth looked at Celia when she turned questioning eyes toward him.
“She’ll be safe until we can get this mess straightened
out.”

“
All right then, I’ll bid
you good day.”

“
Wait.”

Seth glanced at his wife. Curious, when
she looked back at him.

“
I’d appreciate it if you’d
get someone to come and get Mr. Hawk’s bags, dear. It would be
discourteous of us not to see to a room for our guest.” She turned
brilliant green eyes on her husband and smiled that sweet
smile.

He recognized her ploy immediately. Her
smile was as disarming as having a gun pointed at your heart and
twice as potent.

“
You’ll stay with us,
Hawk.”

Several unkind words came to mind. He
would have a few of them with his wife when they got back to the
hotel. “Of course…”

“
That’s very kind of you.
Your hospitality is most generous, Mrs. Loflin.” Hawk touched two
fingers to the brim of his derby.

“
Please, Mr. Hawk, think of
it as our way of saying thank you for your help.”

“
That’s very gracious of
you, Mr. Loflin.” Hawk reached out a hand to shake
Seth’s.

***

When the door to their room at the inn
closed behind them, Seth went straight to the whiskey
decanter.

“
I thought Mr. White-Hawk
was a very informed professional. Didn’t you?” Celia remained near
the door and removed her gloves.

Without a glance in her direction, he
drained the contents of the glass before pouring another.
“Professional, right!” He threw back the contents and winced only
slightly enjoying the burn as the bourbon went down. “What I
enjoyed was how charming you were, darlin. That was quite a
performance you put on over at Charles’ office.” Seth punctuated
his statement with a finger in her direction.

Celia turned slowly. “What’s that
supposed to mean?” She fisted her hands on her hips and simply
stared balefully at him.

“
Oh, don’t play coy with me,
darlin’. You knew exactly what you were doing. Get me out in public
where I can’t do anything and put on a show for everyone. Isn’t
that right?” He yanked at the collar of his shirt and then threw
his Stetson into the settee.

“
Put on a show. Well, of all
the nerve. I thought we had an agreement. Don’t you want me to put
on a show?” Celia flung her own hat before disappearing behind the
dressing screen. “This was your idea to begin with. You’ve got no
right to question me about the agreement or how I perform in
public.” Yanking at her dress, Seth heard her mumble something
behind the screen before her petticoat went flying.

“
I never said you had to
flirt with every man you met.” He tugged at his belt and slapped it
on the side-table. “You were positively…forward!” He dropped into a
chair and began undoing his shirt.

“
Forward!” Celia stomped out
from behind the screen in nothing but her chemise and pantalets.
The corset that cinched her already trim waist made Seth ache to
snip the laces with his pocketknife. Wondering what her reaction
would be, he almost missed her next statement. “You’ve got a lot of
nerve saying that. I was being a genteel hostess. Nothing
more!”

“
Genteel hostess, my ass!
You had me cornered and you were playing it for all you were worth,
woman.” He stomped across the room to stand in front of
her.

Her breath was coming in great gasps.
“You, sir, are despicable!” She wheeled then to return to her
toiletry.

Seth was through throwing barbs. He
grabbed her by the elbow and turned her toward him. “You need to
learn some respect.” He shoved her backward toward the
bed.

“
Get your hands off me.” The
look of shock on her beautiful face had him almost believing her
act. She was no match for his strength, though she
struggled.

Seth drove her backward until her
derriere was within steps of the feather mattress. With a low
growl, he lifted her and threw her onto the bed.

Celia bounced once before landing. She
gathered her legs under her and rolled to the opposite side of the
bed. With her feet soundlessly on the floor, she calculated her
next move but forgot not to glance in that direction. He watched
her like he would a calf. Cutting her out of the herd was second
nature to him, so when she fanned left and then lunging right, the
cowboy in him was momentarily surprised when his wife managed to
barely clear his grasp. “I will not supplicate under such a harsh
task master, Mr. Loflin.” Dark hair flying as she raced to the
cover of the privacy screen, Celia clutched at her chest to gather
her breath. With a desperate snatch, she slid first one and then
another arm into her robe and peeked around the screen.

He watched her like a stalker as he
came up behind her and she couldn’t contain the screech when his
hands grabbed the sleeve of the filmy robe. The material rent
rapidly as she left the now invaded protection of the screen for
the large, welcoming covers of the four-poster. With the duvet up
to her nose, she pulled her knees up to her chest protectively and
waited.

His next move had her losing her
breath. Seth took a running start and leapt upon the bed with such
force, Celia feared he might pound her into the
mattress.

Ropes strained and the bed frame sang
with the effort to remain intact. His eyes were molten blue blazing
with the same expression she’d seen in them that night in the
alley. He’d landed atop her like a panther atop its prey. She
burrowed deep in the soft folds of the mattress.

“
Mine!” He growled the one
word into the cool night air. “You are mine. I will have what’s
mine, is that clear?”

Celia couldn’t stop the trembling that
gripped her. Control had shifted and she couldn’t fathom
how.

His eyes bore into her. “I will have
what’s mine when and how I want.” With that proclamation, he took
her mouth in a savage, possessive kiss meant to brand her. Rough
and without regard, he took her lips and bit, sucked and devoured
as he claimed her. “Time hasn’t changed one thing.” His voice was a
hoarse rasp. “You are mine and always will be.”

Warmth bloomed deep inside Celia. Her
arms came up and around his neck encircling him in her hold. “Am
I?”

“
Hell, yes. You know that.
You have to know that.” His head came up a fraction and his eyes
bore into her. “Celia…” His hair fell forward framing his face as
he took her mouth again.

Taking her chin in his fingers much as
he’d done the first time they met, Seth cradled her face and stared
into her eyes as something serious came into his. “Do you know how
you steal my sleep? How many hours I lay awake wondering if you
will be here in the morning or gone like the night birds at dawn?
How the very thought of losing you would kill me?” He ran his free
hand down her arm and gathered her closer as he
explained.

There was a yearning to reassure him.
It came on unexpected and gave her a moment’s tribulation. Staring
into the face that had become familiar to her now, Celia realized
suddenly that this man she knew so little about, and yet needed
like breath, was unequivocally hers. He was reaffirming that she
had a home here and a purpose as his wife. She smiled up at him
then.

Seth took her solidly in his arms. He
closed his eyes and breathed her in. “Celia, I’ve made a mistake,”
he admitted gently. “I should’ve been honest and told you the real
reason I married you.”

She tensed and started to shove back.
All her senses went on alert. “What do you mean the real
reason?”

“
I mean I should’ve told you
the truth about my plan.”

With apprehension riding high, she
watched him. Celia’s mouth had gone bone dry.

“
I know when we were in
Charles’s office Charles explained our arrangement as strictly
business. But what he couldn’t tell you was that I was lying to
everybody.”

Celia’s breath caught. “Lying?” She
dreaded his next words.

“
I wanted the chance to be
near you. More than that, I wanted you. I have since I first laid
eyes on you in Tyler that day you got off the stage.” He watched
her face. “It’s true, that in the beginning, a part of me wanted to
hurt you. But now, I want the chance to…” He searched her face. “I
want the chance to be a real husband to you.”

Celia stilled. His words, spoken with
such desire and sincerity made Celia tremble.

“
Can you give me that
chance?”

Joy rushed up and swamped her. She
could only smile at him as he waited. Finally, Celia found her
voice. “Yes, Mr. Loflin, I can.”

Smiling, he leaned in and tasted her
lips that were bruised and pink with his ardent attention. “You are
real.” He said it with some astonishment mixed with satisfaction.
“The nights I’ve dreamt about holding you are over. You’re here,”
he said in wonderment. Burying his head in the nap of her neck, he
inhaled her scent and let the silk of her hair caress his skin. A
soft moan left her mouth as he searched out the spot just behind
her earlobe to flick his tongue over gently. She turned into him
and took his mouth with hers in a wanton kiss. Mindless of
everything but her, He tasted her need in the urgent way she sought
his tongue for her pleasure.

“
I want to hear the words,”
he told her as he rose up to look into her brilliant green eyes. “I
want to hear you say that you want me. I won’t take you by force,
though after that night in the alley, I believe you consider me a
rough.” He settled on an elbow to allow her the time to answer him.
Watching the pulse beat in her neck, he fought the internal battle
to control his lust until he had her proclamation.

Her eyes bore into his with the honest
he’d witnessed in the young girl so long ago. “I want you, my
husband. I always have.” Following his lead, she took his hand and
placed his long fingers over her breast in a show of trust. “Take
me as a wife and lover. Take me as yours.”

With the need running hot through his
veins, he traced the rip, full mound of her breast and watched her
eyes flutter closed. A soft sigh escaped her and she reached up to
pull his head toward the rosy peak of her nipple.

Seth suckled her aerial like a man
who’d just broke a fast. Tormenting the taught peak, he sought its
mate and devoured her lush flesh. “Celia…” Breathing her name, he
let his fingers tug the laces of the thin cotton chemise free so he
could better view the swells of her breasts. Her skin was smoothly
bronze and the corset pushed the gleaming mounds up for his
pleasure. Celia rolled and urged him to free her from the bonds of
the whalebone. Reaching behind her as he worked she taunted him
with her hand as she glided down the front of his trousers, teasing
muscle and flesh in a torturous search for his pride. Working his
belt loose, she unbuttoned his pants and sought him out. Freed of
the boning, the pantalets draped across the nightstand, Celia lay
bare for his eyes to feast on. Wasting little time in admiration,
he took her mouth in a savage kiss. The heat between them raced to
a head with each stroke and every touch. Gasps of pleasure and
moans of desire gave way to a silent urgency as he shoved two
fingers into her wet center. She came on an explosive release and
cried out in ecstasy. Holding on to his control by a thread, he
parted her long legs and slid deep inside the wet folds of her
core. She fisted around him caressing his shaft in a mindless dance
of passion. With their need running hot to the point of implosion,
Seth took what she offered as they fell this time
together.