Each Time We Love (57 page)

HEART
IN HER THROAT, HEELS DIGGING INTO THE SIDES of her
horse, Savanna was intent upon one thing: reaching her husband before
he tipped over and stumbled into the water… and into the maw of one of
the alligators half circled behind him.

Her horse had even started to leap forward when Micajah's
voice rang out across the firelit darkness.
"You stop right
there,
missy, if you don't want me to finish the job!"
Micajah growled from the darkness beyond the fire.

Instantly Savanna brought her horse to a rearing stop. A
tremor in her voice, she said again, "Get him off there! Drop the rope!"

The tautness of the rope lessened slightly, the block no
longer teetering dangerously, and Micajah stepped out of the shadows.
He still held the rope in one hand, and even though he was staring at
Savanna, there was a pistol aimed at Adam in his other hand. A leer on
his face, he murmured, "If you ask me real sweet-like, I might. Then
again…"

Her hands clenched into fists on the reins, she said through
gritted teeth, "Micajah, drop the rope and lower the pistol,
please!"

Micajah glanced from one strained face to the other. Smiling,
he asked, "And if I don't?"

"If you don't," she said levelly, "I ride away." It was a
flagrant bluff, but she had to try to gain some leverage—Micajah held
all the cards.

A tight, uneasy silence spun out and then Micajah said
thoughtfully, "You get off the horse, I drop the rope. The pistol
stays."

It was, she realized helplessly, as much as he was going to
give her. Wordlessly, she slid to the ground. Her heart racing
painfully, she waited anxiously, and a second later, the rope dropped
from Micajah's hand. The pistol was still pointed at Adam's head, but
at least one form of danger had lessened.

Micajah, other than keeping the pistol generally aimed in his
direction, wasn't paying much attention to Adam anymore; instead, his
lustful gaze was traveling hotly over Savanna's body. Adam took
advantage of the other man's distraction, increasing his frantic
struggles to break free of the bonds that held him. If he didn't get
free of the rawhide in mere minutes, he'd be dead and Savanna would be
left totally at the mercy of Micajah. The image of her struggling in
Micajah's arms, the thought of Micajah tasting those charms that had
been for him and him alone, nearly drove Adam insane, and it was with
the strength of a madman that he fought against his bonds. His wrists
were slippery with blood from his desperate struggles, and with a
sudden jolt of excitement he felt the faintest, nearly imperceptible
give in the narrow strip of rawhide that kept his hands secured behind
his back.

Micajah was smiling as he stared at Savanna, a smug, lewd
smile that made Savanna shiver with revulsion. Her eyes were locked
with his—she dared not risk a glance in Adam's direction. To save her
husband, she needed to get within knife-range of Micajah and, equally
important, she needed to keep his attention focused on her and away
from Adam. As clearly as if she were privy to his thoughts, Savanna
knew that Micajah had no intention of keeping his word to free Adam.
The instant he felt confident that she couldn't escape from him, right
before her eyes he'd shoot her husband in cold blood… and laugh about
it. Her lips tightened and one hand strayed to the knife tied beneath
her hair. Just let me get close enough, she prayed silently. Let me
have a chance. Just one!

"Step away from the horse," Micajah said, the smirk on his
coarse face plainly revealing how
very
much he
was enjoying himself. When Savanna had done as he requested, he added,
"Lift your arms and turn around."

Again Savanna did as he had ordered, her thoughts churning
wildly in her mind. Would he let her get close enough to him
before
he killed Adam?

Micajah glanced again in Adam's direction and Adam froze, not
moving a muscle, hoping desperately that his face did not reveal his
savage elation— behind him,
his hands were free!
Micajah looked back at Savanna. "Strapping fellow you married," he
commented casually. '"Course,
I
would've made you
a better husband."

"I don't think so," Savanna said softly, and looking at Adam,
her heart in her eyes, she added clearly, "You see, I love my husband
very much."

Suddenly heedless of the circumstances, Adam stared at her,
thunderstruck. "You love
me?"
he said hardly
daring to believe his ears, the sapphire eyes darkening with some deep
emotion.

This was hardly the way she had envisioned telling him, but
the knowledge that she might fail, that Adam might die not knowing how
she felt about him, had driven her to speak of what was in her heart.
"Only you," she said passionately. "Only
you!"

"That's
enough!"
Micajah ground out
furiously. "I didn't set this up to listen to your mawkish sentiment."
As if becoming aware of something for the first time, he narrowed his
eyes and, staring hard at Savanna, demanded, "Where's Jeremy? He was
supposed to warn me when you showed up."

With an effort, Savanna brought her gaze from Adam's lean face
and looked contemptuously at Micajah. Almost with relish, she said,
"Jeremy's dead. I killed him."

To her astonishment, instead of angering Micajah, her words
seemed to please him.

"Well,, well," he murmured. "So you finally got your gumption
up, did you? I alwus knew you had it in you, girl." He smiled hugely.
"Glad you took care of that little chore for me."

Savanna's face showed her shock. "You were going to kill
Jeremy?"

Micajah nodded, his earlier jovial mood apparently restored.
"Surely was. You saved me the trouble."

"But what about the gold?" she demanded. "Without him, you'll
never find it!"

Micajah looked sly. "Well, you see, I figure different.
You're
going to lead me to it!"

"Me!"
Savanna burst out, plainly confused
by this turn of events. "I don't know where the gold is. I never even
knew about it until you and Jeremy told me! How can I lead you to it?"

Keeping a wary eye on Micajah while he was intent on his
conversation with Savanna, Adam carefully hunkered down until his
fingers could touch the knots that kept his feet bound. The knots
seemed to be hopelessly snarled together, and no matter how nimbly
Adam's fingers tugged and scrabbled about, the knots refused to budge.
Fearful that Micajah would notice his actions, he gave up after a few
seconds and very slowly assumed his original position, holding his
hands behind his back to continue the illusion that he was still
completely bound.

One of the alligators suddenly let out an angry roar,
startling the three people. The fire had begun to die down, and with
the lessening of the flickering light, a huge male had become bolder
and had approached within a few feet of where Adam was perched on the
block of wood.

It wasn't in Micajah's plans for Adam to die just yet, and
with a curse, he quickly threw several more pieces of wood on the fire,
the sudden blaze of light driving the alligator back to join its mates.
The night air was filled with the sound of churning water and the
furious bellows of the reptiles as they fought among themselves before
breaking ranks and allowing the big bull to assume his previous
position in their midst. It was only when a relative silence had fallen
and Micajah was confident the fire would keep the alligators a safe
distance away that he returned to the matter at hand.

"I think you know more about that gold than you ever let on,"
he told Savanna. "Yore daddy told Jeremy that you had the golden
armband. I figure if he left you the armband, he probably left you some
instructions on how to find the place where the gold is hidden."

Her face white and strained, Savanna snapped angrily,
"Micajah! I've told you,
I don't have any damned golden
armband
¹
.
Jeremy
had
to misunderstand Davalos—or he made up the entire thing!"

Micajah rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Nope. Talked a lot to
Jeremy these past months, questioned him real close-like. Davalos told
him that you had the golden armband." He grinned at her. "You and me
are going to be partners."

His eyes and ears trained on Micajah, Adam still fought to
free himself. Since undoing the knots that kept his feet tied together
was not feasible, he was attempting to wiggle out of his boots. If he
could get just one foot free…

But Micajah was growing impatient with the situation. Savanna
was so close, almost within his reach, and his entire body had
responded to her nearness, his swollen shaft nearly bursting from his
breeches as he stared at her. Soon he'd have all that soft white flesh
beneath him. He'd teach her to forget that husband of hers. He'd show
her what a
real
man was like! His breathing
deepened just at the thought of what he was going to do to her, and for
the moment, he had forgotten Adam, all his attention focused on Savanna
and the charms that had been so long denied him. But he wasn't so far
gone with lust that he had forgotten that Savanna could prove deadly to
him, and, his voice thick, Micajah muttered, "Take off your clothes." A
noxious grin on his face, he added, "Got to make sure you don't have
any weapons. So take 'em off—all of them. Real slow. And don't try any
tricks, or I'll shoot him."

Bile rose in Savanna's throat, and though she'd expected this,
the thought of Micajah staring at her naked body was revolting. But
Adam's life depended upon it and so, with fingers that trembled, she
reached for the fastening of her breeches.

Every muscle in Adam's body clenched in furious denial.
Harshly, he cried out, "No! For God's sake, Savanna, don't do it. I'm
not worth it! He's only playing with you!"

Micajah laughed. "Well, now, maybe I am and maybe I ain't, but
I don't think she has any choice." He looked at Savanna and licked his
lips. "Either you take them off or I'll shoot him between the eyes
right now. And don't think I don't know that you'd like to kill
me—that's why you're not getting any closer to me until I know you
don't have a weapon on you. Now get busy!"

For one wild moment Adam even considered lunging at Micajah,
envisioning the feel of the man's neck beneath his choking hands, but
he knew that with his feet still bound together he'd never reach him in
time and that all he would accomplish would be to betray the fact that
his hands were free and get himself killed, without doing Savanna any
good at all. Unhappily he was aware that their only hope lay in his
being able to free his feet. Adam knew that his task was incredibly
difficult, almost impossible, but, outwardly stoic, he continued his
struggle, the occasional bellow of the alligators keeping him
chillingly aware of what even the tiniest slip would mean, aware that
he must remain as still as possible to avoid falling—or worse, alerting
Micajah to what he was trying to do. With grim concentration, he
renewed his delicate maneuvers to get his foot free of his boot. His
heart nearly stopped a second later when he actually felt his foot
begin to slide ever so slowly upward.

Savanna never looked at Adam. She dared not. All her attention
was centered on the leering man in front of her. A man she intended to
kill. Not bothering to hide the hatred she felt for Micajah, Savanna
kicked off her boots and gracefully stepped free of her breeches, the
firelight flickering sensuously on her long, beautiful legs. Mindful of
the need to get nearer to Micajah while he was distracted by staring
lasciviously at her naked flesh, she casually took several steps in his
direction.

His jaw slack, Micajah continued to gape greedily at her legs,
imagining them locked around him, imagining what it was going to feel
like when he was buried deep within her. He was so lost in his erotic
imaginings that he was hardly aware of Savanna's actions, and she had
closed half the distance that separated them before he realized what
she was up to. Grinning maliciously, he drawled, "Hold it right there!
I think you've forgotten something… like taking off the rest of your
clothing."

The pistol was still on Adam, and trying desperately to even
the odds, Savanna halted and pleaded, "Lower the pistol."

Again Micajah looked from one to the other, nearly laughing
out loud at the expression on Adam's face.

Despite his best efforts, Adam's features were contorted by
the tortured rage that filled him, and his blue eyes were flashing with
a savage wrath. His big body was tensed as if for a blow, the powerful
bunching of the muscles of his shoulders and arms clearly revealing how
very much he would like to hurl himself upon his tormentor.

Micajah smiled at him. "Think I'll let you watch us before…"
He glanced back at Savanna and, smirking, said, "Why not?"

He kept the pistol in his hand, but he did lower it, and
Savanna felt a surge of elation course through her body. Now to get
close enough to him…

For a moment Savanna considered rushing him, but she was too
far away, and though the pistol was no longer aimed at Adam, one false
move on her part would have Micajah shoot Adam before her very eyes.
She had no choice.

She took a deep breath and, suddenly eager to get it over
with, with one rapid motion she flung aside her shirt, standing tall
and proud in the firelight, seemingly indifferent to Micajah's stare.
In a sense, she
was
indifferent to her nakedness,
a curiously dreamlike state having overtaken her, all her emotions and
energies, every fiber of her being, tightly focused on the dangerous,
deadly task before her.

Micajah was nearly shaking with excitement as he stared at
Savanna. One of her breasts was totally vulnerable to his hot gaze,
only the nipple of the other one peeking through the thick, nearly
waist-length hair that spilled over her shoulder. His mouth was dry,
his entire body quivering at the notion that she was his for the
taking, and his salacious gaze traveled possessively down to the narrow
waist and the seductive flare of her hips. When his eyes reached the
triangle of red-gold hair at the junction of her thighs, his breathing
increased dramatically and he seemed mesmerized by those luxurious
curls burning against the whiteness of her skin.