How Miss West Was Won (11 page)

“We will. Stay here with Mrs. Dunlap, and have some food ready for us when we get back. I’m going to be starved.” He kissed her again, and then went out the door.

She was nervous as she crossed to Mrs. Dunlap. The older woman was visibly shaken, and Cordelia did not want to say or do anything that would upset her more. “We should go to the kitchen and have some tea while we wait for them to return.”

When they were seated, with cups of tea sitting on the table before them, Cordelia once again told Mrs. Dunlap that what had happened was not her fault. “In fact, we should be happy you were not here. What do you think would have happened if you had heard a noise and gone to investigate? There is every chance whoever had come into the house would have hurt you.”

Cordelia was shocked to see the change in the woman’s expression. Whereas she had been nervous before, Mrs. Dunlap’s features now tightened with anger. “If they think they can, let them try.”

Cordelia smiled. Obviously she had said the right thing, which caused Mrs. Dunlap to not want to be a victim. Cordelia took a sip of her tea. There were things she wanted to know about Eli and his family, but she was not sure exactly how to approach the subject. But then she decided the direct approach was the best way. “Tell me about Eli’s parents, his brothers, and how they died.”

Mrs. Dunlap turned to her, and the expression on her face was one of instant sorrow. “He hasn’t told you?” She sounded surprised, but then the older woman shook her head. “I suppose he hasn’t. It has been hard on him. Many people in town gossip about Eli, because he is the only one of his family to survive.”

Cordelia took a sip of her tea before she spoke again. She did not want to seem too eager. There was something going on here, something that required someone, as yet unknown, to hire an actress to try and become Eli’s wife. After a few moments, she spoke again. “I am not sure what you mean.”

Mrs. Dunlap sat across from her. “Eli was supposed to be with his family when they died, but he decided to stay home at the last minute. Many people have… gossiped… that he caused the accident to get the land away from his father, and in turn, his brother.”

This was information she had not heard before. “How did they die?” The sadness that crossed Mrs. Dunlap’s face made Cordelia want to wrap her arms around her to help erase her pain.

“It was an accident,” Mrs. Dunlap said. “They were on their way into Boulder, and went over the side about halfway there.”

Cordelia knew the spot the housekeeper was talking about. It was a very steep area, and the curve was sharp. The first time she had taken it, when she was with Eli and Stuart, the drop-off had frightened her.

“It took them days to recover the bodies,” Mrs. Dunlap said, her voice shaking. “Eli was beside himself with grief. Stuart finally pulled him out of it months later. It was Stuart, actually, who kept the ranch going while Eli was… indisposed.”

Cordelia thought about Eli’s cousin, who did not seem to have a serious bone in his body. Despite his tendency to turn everything into a joke, she had no trouble imagining him taking control of things to make sure nothing untoward happened while Eli was grieving. “People thought Eli had something to do with the accident?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Dunlap said, her tone now angry. “They said his staying home was suspicious. He just wanted to get some work done.”

Cordelia had no problem believing that. If there was one thing she had learned about Eli, it was that he was always working. “What about the situation with Constance? How did that come about?”

Mrs. Dunlap shook her head. “Eli was shocked to learn about it, and frankly, so was I. It seems so unlike his father. But there has to be a story behind the agreement. Unfortunately, we may never know what it was, what with Mr. Bannister being dead and all.”

Indeed, Cordelia thought as ideas raced through her mind. There was a great deal they needed to learn, and the only way to do it was to put it all down on paper and fill in the blanks. She would do that in the morning, when she usually wrote in her journal. Finding out the truth of things was uppermost in her mind right now. Something was off here, and Cordelia was determined to find out what it was.

She and Mrs. Dunlap enjoyed another cup of tea, and were thinking of having a third when the door opened and Eli, followed by Stuart, came inside.

“What did you find?” Cordelia asked as soon as they had seated themselves at the table.

“Some boot prints, and toward the river, some hoof prints,” Eli said.  “They were fresh.”

Cordelia’s heart skipped a beat. She needed to tell Eli what Melody had told her about Constance. But then again, it would be best to wait for a reply to the telegram she had sent Mr. Tuttle that afternoon. If she had the correct information, they could figure out the exact nature of the situation.

The four of them ate the dinner Mrs. Dunlap had prepared earlier, and then retired for the evening. As they mounted the steps, Cordelia was very aware of Eli moving behind her. She was unsure about what to do, if she should go into her room, or into his.

As it turned out, he took matters into his own hand when they were at her doorway. “I’ll be in shortly, if that is all right with you?”

Chills raced up her spine, and despite what she had told herself earlier, she found herself nodding. She went into her room and changed her clothes. Using water from the basin, she washed her face, and was just toweling it dry when Eli came in. His chest was bare, but he still had his breeches on. For the second time that night, Cordelia’s heart felt like it skipped a beat, but for a totally different reason. Her insides turned to utter mush as he strode across the room, his purpose very clear.

When he was beside her, he took her face between his hands and lowered his lips to hers, claiming them as he had never done before. The kiss was incredible, and Cordelia opened her mouth when his tongue pressed against her. She moaned in pleasure as he deepened the kiss. “Eli,” she managed to murmur when he finally pulled away. She was breathless, her lungs fighting for air as he started to caress her arms.

“All I could think about today was you,” Eli said. “Even as we searched for whoever was in the house, I imagined what would have happened to you if you had been here.”

“I can take care of myself,” she whispered. “I have been doing it for years.”

His smile was seductive. “I want to fuck you.”

Cordelia’s mouth widened in shock at his lewd word. At the same time, it sent a lascivious thrill through her. She should tell him the word wasn’t the proper thing to say, that he should ask nicely if he could to take her to bed. Instead, she smiled, one that she hoped was seductive. “Do you?”

Eli’s eyes narrowed just a little, and his grin was incredibly erotic, she thought. “I do.” He stroked her cheek. “I want to bury myself deep inside you, feel the warmth and wetness of your tight passage surrounding me.”

That place was definitely wet she wanted to tell him, and his words were making it even wetter. Her resolve to keep away from him, in a physical manner, dissolved. “Say it again,” she heard herself say.

“I want to fuck you,” he repeated. “I’m going to lay you down on that bed and plant myself between your legs.”

The cruder his words, the more Cordelia enjoyed them. “Are you going to give me time to undress?” she asked sweetly.

“Maybe,” he teased. “But if you want it, you’d better hurry. I can’t wait much longer.”

Cordelia took a step away from him. She slowly took off her nightdress and let it fall to the floor. She felt a little nervous, being naked in front of him, even though she did not know why. After all, he had been inside her last night, and he would be inside her again soon enough.

A devilish need took over and her nerves disappeared. She licked her lips and ran her fingers over her breasts. Never had she thought she would do something so wanton. “Fuck me, Eli.” She pinched her nipples. Erotic sensations took over her body, unlike anything she had ever experienced. “Fuck me now, Eli, and do it hard.”

What was wrong with her? Being near him was turning her into a harlot, and rather than being ashamed of it, she savored every moment.

“You’re a naughty woman, Cordelia,” he said, his voice full of desire. She watched as he crossed to the bed and sat down. She could tell he wanted to say something else, but whatever it was, he kept it to himself.

“I want you inside me,” she said. “I do not know what… ever since the first time I—”

“Cordelia,” he said. “Keep your mouth closed, and get over here so I can do exactly as you asked.”

Shivers ran through her, making her feel as if she might faint from the sheer need coursing through her body. Cordelia took a step toward him, and then another. But she stopped after the second one. She had been watching his expression, which started out as one of pure lust. But now that she had come to a stop, it had turned to one of confusion.

“What are you doing, Cordelia?”

That was a very good question, one she was not sure she could answer. She was not lying when she said she wanted him inside her, but right now she felt… playful.

Cordelia ran her hands down her hips, and then she sighed heavily. “I think I’ve changed my mind.”

The look of utter shock on his face almost made her laugh, and it made her want to tease him all the more.

“Perhaps you should go to your room and go to sleep,” Cordelia said. “After all, it is late, and you are always up early. You have things to do in the morning.”

She wanted to add that one of the things he had to do was try and figure out who had broken into the house earlier, but she thought it might take the edge off the fun Cordelia was having.

Eli was silent for a few long moments, and Cordelia barely held back her laughter when he finally said, “You are kidding me, right?”

“Why no, I am not,” she replied. Once more she slid her hands up and down her sides. “Your room is right over there.”

Cordelia bent down and picked up her gown. She held it in front of herself, draping it so it covered all the important parts. Then, with her free hand, she pointed to his door.

To keep things going, Cordelia yawned. “I am so ready for bed.” She was close to laughing out loud, and she hoped Eli did not realize it. One look at him, though, told her that he did see she was playing.

“Tired, are you? Ready for bed?”

“Definitely,” she said, adding another yawn for emphasis.

Before she could say anything else, Eli sprang from the bed. She tried to sidestep him but he was too fast for her. He grabbed her around the waist and turned her toward the bed. He quickstepped them to the mattress and gently pushed her back. She landed with a soft thud. She was surprised that she managed to keep the gown clutched to her chest.

“Eli,” she said in mock despair. “I asked you to leave.”

“Did you?” He took a step toward her. “I’m sorry, Cordelia, but that is a request I am not going to be able to fulfill. You and I are going to make love, or, as you put it earlier, I’m going to fuck you, hard.”

Cordelia shivered. She scooted back on the mattress, but before she could get very far, Eli grabbed her on the thigh and pushed down.

“Try to get away from me again and I’m going to spank you, Cordelia.”

Cordelia could not help but grin. “Oh really? I seriously doubt it.” But to see if he would, she pushed his hand away, turned onto her belly and started to crawl across the bed as fast as she could.

Her reward was a hard, swift smack on her naked bottom.

“Ouch!” she yelled out, turning as fast as she could to keep Eli from delivering another swat. That idea worked for about three seconds, because Eli grabbed her and flipped her so quickly she wondered how he accomplished it.

He slapped her ass two more times. The hard slaps spread across her skin like wildfire, and Cordelia was surprised she did not object. It stung, there was no doubt about that, but it also felt good, a strange sensation that increased the desire already flowing through her.

Eli slapped her ass again, and again, and again, all in the same spot.

“Eli,” she groaned, her voice low. “Stop.”

“Cordelia.” He slapped her ass twice more, this time on the other cheek. “You like it. I can hear it in your voice. I can see it in the way you wiggle your hips, as if you are inviting me to continue.”

Was she really doing that? She had not realized it, but when Eli slapped her ass again, she felt her hips wiggle, just like he had said. A thrill of anticipation shot through her.

“You’re a naughty woman, Cordelia,” Eli said as he slapped her ass repeatedly. “Teasing me like you are.” He stopped spanking her and lay down on top of her, his weight pressing her into the mattress. “If I were a tease like you are, I would go to my room right now and leave you wanting more. You do want more, don’t you Cordelia?”

“Yes, Eli,” she admitted. Where had this come from? Heaven knows, she had not expected it when she came to the Four Fours. In the back of her mind, a voice screamed that this was supposed to be a job. Eli was paying her to act like his wife, and she would leave when the situation with Constance was resolved. From this experience, she would write an article for Mr. Tuttle.

But things were not turning out as she had planned. Nowhere in this situation did she expect to give her virginity to Eli, even though she had done that; nowhere had she expected him to spank her as punishment; and nowhere had she expected to continue to have sex with him, saying naughty words that made her blush, and letting him spank her, and feeling her womanly juices flow as a result of that spanking.

“Cordelia,” he whispered against her neck. “Does my naughty girl need me to continue spanking her?”

Say no, the rational voice in her head screamed. Say no, no, no!

“Yes,” she whispered as she clutched the nightgown that was no longer doing her any good. “Spank me, Eli.”

Eli slapped his hand against her right butt cheek, and then her left. Cordelia bucked her hips, her senses reeling out of control as he did it again, and again. Never had it occurred to her that something like this could feel so wonderful, could entice her to want to let Eli do wonderful, nasty things to her body.

“Cordelia.” He slapped her ass again. “Get on your knees.”

This was way beyond her experiences, and she was not sure exactly what he meant. She told him so, and he tapped her hips.

“Lift them up so that you are on your knees and your bottom is high in the air.”

“I do not think I can,” she whispered. It would leave her feeling exposed, with her hips high up and her face turned away from him. She wanted to be able to see what he was about to do, instead of looking away. She started to turn, and it earned her a sharp slap on the bottom.

“Do I say, Cordelia.”

“Eli,” she whispered, “I don’t think—”

“You’re so much in need, your speech is slipping,” he said with a laugh. “Let me guide you, Cordelia. Don’t fight me on what I want to do. It will bring incredible pleasure.”

Cordelia took several deep breaths before she followed his directions. When she was in position, he gave her several soft pats on the ass.

“Good girl, Cordelia.”

She was not sure she liked that phrase, but she let it go. She turned her head and placed her cheek on the mattress. Eli started to spank her again, but the slaps were soft, and the sting was nothing like what she had felt before. Not that they were not enjoyable. She still felt the sting of them, but it was a different sensation, one that competed with the harsh slaps that he had delivered earlier.

She was just starting to enjoy the softer ones when he changed his technique once again. This time they were even harder than the ones before. He slapped her bottom with one hand, and with the other he found her bud, already tight and ready to explode. It took only a few more slaps and a few strokes for Cordelia to explode, the orgasm rushing through her and making her feel as if she were on fire.

“Eli, Eli, El!” she screamed as he continued to play with her, continued to work his magic on her wet, swollen parts. No sooner has the first orgasm ended than a second one slammed into her. Cordelia’s legs felt as if they had turned to putty, and she felt as if she might collapse on the bed.

When the second orgasm ended, that is exactly what she did. She was covered in sweat, and her body shook as if she were on a horse that was running wild through the meadow.

Eli lay down behind her. He stroked her hips and thigh and told her to relax, to let the remaining feelings have their way with her. “You’ll feel tiny aftershocks,” he said. “I know you will.”

“You are right,” she said, as one of those little temblors rocked her body.

Eli pressed into her. She could feel his body against her hot bottom. The other thing that she noticed was his hard length, pressing into her nether cheeks. He lifted one of her legs gently, placed himself at her opening and pushed inside.

“Yes,” she said. “I… yes.”

He moved slowly at first, one of his hands sliding up her side to cup her breast. He found her nipple and squeezed it gently as he continued to move in and out of her wetness.

“Eli,” she said. “I… you are… I—”

He placed his lips against her ear. “What is it you are trying to say, Cordelia?”

“I am not sure,” she said, her voice shaky. She closed her eyes and let herself settle against his body. Eli continued to move in and out, very slowly. After a few moments, he stopped.

His hard length pulsed inside her, and Cordelia sighed. “Do not stop.”

“Say the word you said earlier.”

Somehow, that word seemed all the more erotic at the moment. Cordelia sighed in pleasure and said, “Fuck me.”

“Those words lack enthusiasm,” he said as he nuzzled her neck. “Say it again, and convince me you really want it.”

Cordelia felt as if she were turning into one of his ladies of the night, and she was not sure she objected. She whispered the words again, knowing it was not what he wanted. He stroked her hip and demanded she say it again.

She did, once, twice, three more times until she finally screamed out, “Fuck me, Eli, fuck me hard. Hard!”

Eli grabbed her hip and did as she asked, pounding into her so fiercely that she wondered if she would split apart. His breathing grew ragged, and when he finally gasped out her name, she felt him pulse inside her and she knew he had filled her with his seed.

She knew she should have told him to leave her body, so that there was no chance of him giving her a child, but she did not want him to leave. She wanted to keep him inside her, savor his hardness as he stayed there.

In reality, she never wanted him to leave her.

Ever.

* * *

When Cordelia woke several hours later she was alone, or so she thought at first. The bed was empty, but she could feel Eli’s presence in the room. She looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness as she did. Finally, she found him sitting by the desk where she had written in her journal. It had been some time since she had done that.

He stared out the window, his legs stretched out in front of him. He must have heard her move, because he said, “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“Not having you next to me was what woke me,” she admitted. “I missed you.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said. “It makes me feel good.”

His words might have said that, but the tone of his voice said differently. Cordelia got up, grabbed her gown from where it had been tossed to the floor and slipped it on. When she was clothed, she walked to where Eli sat. He was still naked, and it made her breath catch in her throat.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked, trying to keep from focusing on his naked body.

“What happened tonight,” he said. “Not the incredible thing that happened between us, but what happened with someone breaking into the house. I can’t imagine what they were looking for. All my important papers are kept at the bank, or in my lawyer’s office. There is nothing here of value. Nothing.”

Cordelia moved a few things on the desk so she could sit down. She turned so that her gaze was on his face, and not on his manhood.

“Did your mother keep any jewelry in the house?”

Eli shook his head. “Mother didn’t wear jewelry, except for her wedding ring, and she was buried with it on her finger.”

This was the perfect place for Cordelia to bring up a sensitive subject. “Mrs. Dunlap told me about what happened to your parents and brothers. I am sorry. It has to be hard to live with.”

At first he didn’t say anything. But after a few, long moments he said, “You learn to live with it. I have to admit it’s one of the reasons I don’t want to marry. I don’t think I could bear losing someone. The pain was horrible, but then it… faded. Stuart pulled me out of it.”

Cordelia laughed. “That’s what Mrs. Dunlap said.” She did not want to get into the idea that he would never marry because he did not want to be close to someone again. “Are there papers in the house? Maybe your father had a secret place to hide things, important things, like deeds, or papers that deal with the agreement he made with Constance’s father.”

Eli was shaking his head before she even stopped talking. “The only papers my father kept were in his desk, or at the bank and the lawyer’s office. He taught me that was the safest place to keep things, and that’s what I did.”