Heaven Scent (15 page)

“What was the question,
Tarin?”

She sighed. She knew Rafe's query would
eventually come. Frankly, she was surprised it had taken him a full
hour to ask. Could she have dismissed it as irrelevant? Yes. But
Rafe was smart enough to know if she did that, it was more relevant
than ever.

“Dr. Kent asked to court me.” Her eyes
shot to his, surprised to find acceptance and anguish, rather than
anger, in their black irises.

His gaze bored into her. “What was your
response?”

Glancing down at her lap, she replied,
“I gave none.”

Blowing out a breath, Rafe rolled onto
his back and stared up at the sky for several minutes. “Do you love
him?”

Frowning, Tarin caught her breath. How
could he ask such a thing after what they had shared in her parlor?
Did he think her the type of woman that could be intimate with one
man while she loved another?

No, he had more respect for her than
that. Rafe’s ego had taken a blow today in her library, whether he
admitted it or not. Otherwise, she would have received the anger
she’d expected.

He turned to stare at her.

“No, Rafe.”

A smile slowly blossomed on his face,
her heart beating faster in sync. Tarin couldn’t help but
reciprocate his expression. Why did it please her that he was
pleased? Did he truly care for her or was he just relieved that
Kent proved no competition?

Sitting up, Rafe searched around and
grabbed her parasol. Opening it, he scooted in front of her, facing
the tree.

Tarin’s heart pounded wildly now. “What
are you doing?”

“I’m going to kiss you.”

“Out here - in public?” She swallowed,
pushing against his chest weakly.

His grin was devilish. “Yes.” The
arrogant Rafe had returned.

The thought made her grin. “We will
both be put in jail,” she declared as the parasol descended,
cocooning their faces against the tree trunk. A strong scent of
roses enveloped them.

“It’ll be worth it.”

His mouth covered hers, his lips warm,
soft against her own. He tasted of roast beef and wine, his kiss
thorough and languid. Tarin couldn’t believe she was actually
kissing a man in public. If anyone saw, her reputation would be
ruined. Not that she cared at the moment, for a kiss from Rafe
Sutherland merited every risk. He made her take chances, do things
she would never, ever do under normal circumstances.

Scooting closer, he clutched her head
in his hand and deepened the kiss. Tarin gasped, her hands
clutching the sleeves of his shirt in a tight grip. He proceeded to
seduce her meticulously, expertly, until she had completely
forgotten her whereabouts. Her gruff moan made him pull away with a
chuckle.

“Easy sweetheart, we can’t get too loud
and draw attention to ourselves.”

Tarin’s face heated until she thought
she would combust. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
“Oh Rafe, why me?”

Closing the parasol, he held her
against him, his hand in her hair. “I should be asking you that
question. I don’t know why you would allow someone like me to kiss
you, but I’m damned glad you do.”

She pulled away. “What do you mean,
‘like you‘?”

His brows furrowed. “Tarin, you know
what I mean.”

She trailed the back of her hand across
the jagged scar on his cheek. “Save the insecurity for someone
else, Rafe Sutherland. It doesn’t become you.”

Laughing aloud, he gave her a quick
kiss - in full view of all the patrons in the park.

“Rafe!”

“Fine,” he mumbled with a teasing lilt
in his voice. He scooted away from her.

Tarin suddenly felt cold.

“So, are you going to open that box of
chocolates today or were you hoping I’d forgotten about
them?”

Laughing, she grabbed the box beside
her and removed the lid. “Only you would give a woman a gift, then
demand some of it back.”

She browsed the box, trying to decipher
what flavors were in the different pieces. “What flavors did you
buy?”

Rafe sat up and looked inside the box,
too. His face was just inches from hers. Her eyes strayed to his
lips and held. If she raised her head just a smidgeon, she could
kiss him again. Suddenly, the chocolate didn’t interest her in the
least.

“I bought an assortment. I wasn’t sure
what kind you liked.”

“Do any of them taste like you?” she
whispered.

Stilling, Rafe growled low in his
throat. “Dammit Tarin, stop it. Or you’ll be flat on your back in
two seconds.”

The thought made Tarin’s body tingle in
anticipation. Her answering smile made him frown. He moved away
from the candy and stared at her mutinously.

He was a woman’s fantasy come true
sitting back on his hands, knee bent, his trousers pulled tight
over long, muscular legs and taut backside. The wind whipped at his
hair, swirling the scent of roses and spice in the air. With the
sensual storm raging in the depths of his chocolate-brown eyes, the
combined effect was mesmerizing.

Suddenly, Tarin didn’t care where they
were intimate, as long as they were.

“Take me back to my room, Rafe.”
Leaning forward, she placed her hand on his leg and smoothed it up
his shin.

Rafe shot to within an inch of her
face. His jaw tight, his hands clenched her upper arms in a fierce
grip. “Are you saying you’ll allow me to court you?”

God help her. What was she doing? She
had told herself just this morning that she wouldn’t allow herself
to get close to Rafe.

Blast. All it took was one kiss and she
wanted to give herself to him. Why did she ask to come here? Why
did she put herself in this situation?

“Answer me, Tarin.”

Turning away, she shook her
head.

Rafe sighed as he let her go. Cursing
aloud, he stood and gathered their things.

Chapter 9

Rafe tugged at his cravat, wishing he
could whip the damned thing off and burn it. Sitting down in the
chair at the head of the table, he mumbled a good morning to
Patrick.

Some days he just wanted to wear a pair
of his worn jeans, a shirt and his dirty boots. But today, he and
Patrick had an appointment with a potential fur client and he had
to look his best.

Come on, Sutherland. You
know you want to look respectable for Tarin, too.

Tarin. The woman that was
sure to be the death of him by unspent sexual desire. Why on earth
did she have to be so damned…
eager
with her kisses? A half naked Tarin moaning in his
arms had taken years off of his life. Why couldn’t she be normal -
one of those good, angelic Brahmin virgins? One of those that would
never contemplate running her hand up his leg, or kiss him like she
wanted to climb inside of him, or hell, allow him to seduce her
while she showed him what she wanted?

Rafe squirmed in his chair as he
spooned eggs on his plate. Dammit, he had to quit thinking about
her. Even staying away from her yesterday hadn’t eased his
discomfort. It only made him crave her more.

He stilled, his hand on the coffee mug
brimming with fresh brew. When had this become about her and not
the deal with her father?

“Do you want to ride with me down to
the docks this morning?” Patrick looked over at Rafe as he stabbed
the last slice of ham and placed it on his plate.

Dammit, Rafe had been eying that ham
for himself. Now he had to settle for venison. “Yes, but I need to
get back here before the noon meal. And, I have to run by Doc
Longfellow’s house on the way.”

Patrick spooned some marmalade on his
toast. “Why? Is his wife in need of help?”

“I’m buying Doc’s collection of medical
books. His wife was happy to get rid of them. She said they were
only good for collecting dust.”

Patrick sat up in his chair and stared
at Rafe with a frown. “With money the way it is, why in the world
are you buying medical books?”

Rafe cleared his throat. Only his
mother knew about his interest in Tarin. He owed it to Patrick to
make his intentions known.

“I bought them for Tarin.”

Patrick stared at him as
though he had an oar sticking out of his ear. “Are you…
courting
her?”

Rafe speared some eggs and shoved them
into his mouth. He swallowed them down with a swish of coffee. “I’m
trying like hell to court her, Patrick, but she won’t say
yes.”

Snorting, Patrick picked up his toast
and took a bite. “You’re wasting your time.”

Rafe grinned. “Two days of picnicking
in the Commons. Two no’s. I‘m shooting for three-in-a-row
today.”

The silence in the room could’ve
rivaled a monastery. Rafe glanced up, surprised to find hurt and
disbelief warring in his brother’s eyes.

“She’s going to receive you again
today?”

Rafe stilled. Now he
understood.

Patrick saw him as an ugly,
rough-around-the-edges Texan. Someone better suited to lie beneath
Tarin‘s noble shoe, rather than in her bed. Not that Patrick didn’t
think Rafe was a good person. He just wasn’t good
enough
for
Tarin.

“Yes, we‘re going to the
Commons again.” Rafe stared at him with a raised brow.
Come on, say it, little brother.

“Really…” Staring back at Rafe,
Patrick’s eyes roamed his face. He shook his head slightly. “Thanks
for trying.”

Thanks for
trying
?

“What do you mean?” Rafe’s voice was
more bark than he’d intended.

Patrick stopped eating to stare at him.
“Well, I assume you’re doing this to get Worthington’s business…
right?”

Oh, hell. He hadn’t thought of that. He
didn’t want word getting out that he was after Tarin’s money. Any
traction he did have would be gone. “Why would you assume that?
Tarin’s a beautiful woman.”

“Think about it, Rafe. Do you really
think the Brahmin will assume otherwise? They know the business is
suffering.”

Clenching his fists on top of the
table, Rafe aired the truth. “What you’re saying is that they’ll
think she couldn’t possibly fall for an ugly sonovabitch like me,
right?” He sat back in his chair. “Who the hell cares what the
Brahmin think, Patrick? I only care what Tarin thinks.”

Frowning, Patrick stared at Rafe with
round eyes. He tossed his napkin on the table. “You know, you‘re
right. You’ve gotten farther with Tarin than any man ever has
before. Certainly farther than I did.”

Rafe had forgotten his brother recently
asked Tarin to court him for the second time. Suddenly, he wanted
to rip his head off and use it as a masthead on one of the
ships.

Patrick‘s eyes met his. “So, you’re
saying you really care for her?”

Rafe went back to squirming. He wasn‘t
sure what he felt. But he did know that he didn‘t want another man
near her. He had to make it known throughout the Brahmin that Tarin
belonged to him. He might as well start with Patrick. That should
keep any other potential suitors at bay.

If not, he always had his
knife.

“I do. I won‘t take no for an answer,
Patrick.”

A slow grin spread across his brother’s
face. “I don’t want to say I told you so, but…”

Rafe threw his napkin at Patrick’s
face. “Then don’t.”

######

Boston Harbor bustled with activity.
Ships of all sizes lined the docks as far as the eye could see,
with crews loading and unloading goods from all over the world.
Carriages scrambled about, delivering goods to and from the ships.
Shouts and whistles pierced the air, while seagulls buzzed
overhead, hoping to snatch a morsel from one of the fishing
boats.

Rafe and Patrick always made a point of
riding the length of the harbor before stopping at their office. It
was good to keep an eye on the competition, no matter how big or
small. Knowing who their customers were always proved advantageous.
That was how they gained their appointment this afternoon with the
fur merchant.

Rafe slowed their carriage when he
noticed a glossy, cherrywood phaeton near the Hunter shipping
docks.

Patrick turned to face him. “Why are
you slowing down?”

Rafe squinted against the morning sun
as he shifted to get a better look. “Is that Kent’s
vehicle?”

Patrick leaned over to see past a stack
of crates at the base of the ship‘s ramp. “Sure looks like
it.”

What was Kent doing at the docks?
Medical supplies were delivered to all of the area physicians,
including the universities. There was no need for them to collect
supplies at the docks.

Rolling to a stop, Rafe looked around
to see if he could spot Kent. “Is Hunter shipping opium these
days?”

“Opium?!” Patrick cried, his eyes wide.
“Not that I know of. Why?”