Desire and Deception (32 page)

It didn't help her equilibrium either when she opened her eyes to find Jason standing half-naked only a few yards away. He was engaged in the very masculine, very personal, and very intimate act of shaving. He must already have washed in the stream, she decided, for he wore no shirt, and drops of water on his bare back and shoulders sparkled in the morning sunlight.

The blatant sensual appeal of his magnificent physique held her spellbound. She watched the play of hard muscles beneath smooth bronzed flesh, and in spite of the chill, felt herself growing warm.

As if he sensed her absorption, Jason glanced over his shoulder. When he met her gaze, Lauren was unable to look away. She was caught by the magnetic attraction of those
startingly
blue eyes.

"Good morning." His tone was soft, amused, and it brought Lauren to her senses, making her realize how intently she had been staring.

She blushed hotly as she threw off her blanket and rose abruptly. She avoided looking at Jason as she went to kneel beside the stream, and after twisting her hair on top of her head, splashed water on her face, trying to cool her flushed skin.

She heard Jason's chuckle before she realized that he had come to stand beside her. Lauren lifted her head slowly, her gaze rising from his soft leather moccasins to the deerskin trousers that encased his long, steel-muscled legs and lean hips. Her eyes widened to see the strong bulge below the waistband of his pants, for it left no doubt of his virility. They widened further when she looked up to see Jason grinning down at her. His face was clean-shaven, his hair damp and curling. The sparkle in his eyes was half humorous, half mocking.

"It doesn't help, does it?" he taunted softly.

Embarrassed color stained Lauren's cheeks as she realized he had read her thoughts. "I am sure I don't know what you mean," she managed to respond with dignity.

"Oh, I think you do, my sweet." Jason's voice lowered to a husky murmur as his eyes held hers. "And there's only one way to cool your blood—and mine. Let me know if the strain proves too great." He turned away before Lauren could find her tongue.

She clenched her teeth as she returned to her ablutions. Cool her blood, indeed! Did he think she had no control over her own body's responses?

Lauren stayed by the stream until all trace of warmth was gone. By the time she rose, her teeth were chattering and her lips were tinged a faint blue.

When she returned to camp, Jason was occupied with making breakfast. He surveyed her appearance and shook his head knowingly. "Come over here by the fire, sweetheart, before you turn to ice." His tone was so innocently considerate that Lauren felt a strong urge to slap him.

She shot Jason a resentful look as she retrieved a comb and some hairpins from her saddlebag, then settled herself on a log before the fire. "You and Howard should collaborate," she suggested with exaggerated sweetness. "Perhaps together the two of you might achieve a more original description of me.

Jason poured out a cup of coffee and offered it to her. "Howard thought you a cold fish, did he?"

"He did not—" she began. Then looking around her, Lauren realized they were alone. "Where is Mr. Howard?" she asked, sipping gratefully on the steaming brew.

"Do you miss him already, or are you merely afraid to be alone with me?"

There were blue devils dancing in Jason's eyes, and his levity annoyed her. "Neither," Lauren returned, giving him a frown that was intended to quell his marvelously high spirits. "I merely wondered where he had gone."

Jason went down on one knee to feed the fire with broken branches. "He's on his way back to New Orleans. A man who earns his living can't afford to sleep away the morning like a certain heiress we both know." Jason glanced up from his task and laughed softly at Lauren's rigid expression. "Don't be concerned that you might be indebted to me for his salary. I plan to take his fee from your inheritance."

"Why didn't we go with him?" she asked as Jason returned to his task.

"I thought we would make a more leisurely journey. Snatching a few hours' sleep each night with no time even for a proper shave isn't my idea of comfort."

He seemed determined to provoke her this morning, Lauren decided as she studied the top of Jason's tawny head. Well, she wouldn't allow him the satisfaction. She would remain calm and serene . . . and get some of her own back.

Her lips curved in a smile as she set down her cup and began to use the comb on her hair. "Did you think to ask Mr. Howard what payment I had promised him for his services?" she asked provocatively.

"Oh, no, my girl.
I'll not fall into that trap again."

"Just so you understand that I'm not a . . . a strumpet. You didn't believe me when I said you were the only one who had made love to me."

"Oh, I believed you, all right. Unfortunately, that was after you had told me about your job at the casino. By that time the damage had been done."

Her comb came to a halt. "But why did you get so angry?"
she asked, puzzled. "That didn't make sense, particularly when you had just declared you were jealous of anyone who touched me. Why would you be angry to learn that I was
innocent?"

"You're clever enough to figure that out."

"I suppose," Lauren said slowly as she began to comb her hair again, "that you felt guilty for taking advantage of me."

Jason raised an eyebrow, his eyes brimming with teasing laughter. "Take advantage of you, sweetheart, when you beat me at my own game? Not once but twice now? I will say one
thing,
I've learned not to underestimate you."

Lauren frowned. "Then you didn't feel guilty?"

"I felt guilty as hell for treating you so savagely. But that isn't why I was angry."

"Well then, was it because you thought Lila might find out?"

"No. In fact, she gave me her blessing."

"She did
what?"
Lauren regarded him with horror. "You didn't tell her!"

The grin Jason flashed her was positively wicked. "Tell her that you threw yourself into my arms and into my bed? That you couldn't resist me, charming devil that I am? That you lured me with your seductive wiles till I was mad with desire for you?"

In spite of her resolve, Lauren lost her careful poise. "That isn't what happened! You kidnapped me and forced me on board your ship. You pressured me into feeling guilty because I had reneged on our original bargain. You insulted me by throwing a bag of gold at me, saying I looked and behaved like a . . . a . . . trollop!" Her voice rose. "You duped me into believing you cared what happened to me. Then you pretended to know nothing of my guardian and left me a prisoner on your ship, without a stitch of—"

"You deserved it all you know," Jason interjected casually. "And it's your ship."

Lauren gave him a startled look. "Mine?"

"The
Siren
,
named after you, by the way.
One of the Carlin Line, along with some thirty-odd others."

"And you made me lose my temper," she added lamely, her thoughts spinning.

Jason smiled. "And that, I suppose, is the greatest of all my sins? But at least now you don't at all resemble a cold fish, mayhap a fishwife. . . ."

Lauren hardly heard the jibe. She hadn't yet wanted to face the problem of what to do with the Carlin inheritance. She would refuse to accept it, of course; the Line had caused too much bloodshed and heartache already. Besides, she was capable of supporting herself now. But her more serious problem was Jason himself. It seemed that he truly meant to set himself up as her guardian, yet she had no intention of letting him dictate to her.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. "You realize, of course, that the idea of you being my guardian is perfectly ridiculous."

"I quite agree. I would far rather be your husband."

There was a long, shocked silence.

Looking up, Jason blandly met Lauren's startled gaze. "And not," he said with emphasis, "
because
I'm after your inheritance. I do have some wealth of my own—certainly enough to deny the charge of being a fortune hunter."

Hoping that he was jesting, Lauren made a desperate attempt at recovery.
"Are
you pursuing me, Mr. Stuart?"

"Are you running, Miss
DeVries
?"

Lauren raised a hand to her brow, wondering why all her encounters with Jason left her breathless and shaken. "You are deliberately trying to confuse me."

"Not at all."
Then he added casually, "We could be married as soon as we return to New Orleans."

Lauren stared at him, her mouth half open. If he intended to keep her off balance, he was certainly succeeding. "I don't wish to marry you," Lauren at last said slowly. "But even if I did, I don't understand why you should want to marry me."

"You really don't know?"

"No." She shook her head.
"No, truly."

Jason rose then, and dusted off his hands before he came to stand before her. He stood looking down at her for a long moment, his expression suddenly quite serious. Lauren held her breath.

"Then I'll show you," he said softly. Reaching for her hands, he drew Lauren to her feet. Then he bent his head, slowly, almost as if he were afraid of what would happen.

Lauren watched, spellbound, as Jason's sensuous mouth moved closer. The clean scent of his shaving soap assailed her senses, making her lightheaded. When his lips touched hers, she realized exactly what he had meant. The warm, arousing current that flowed between them was almost tangible. And it was growing. It was powerful enough to sweep away rational thought, to melt any resistance. . . .

Lauren was trembling when Jason pulled away. She opened her eyes and stared at him dazedly. His eyes had darkened to a midnight shade, and his voice, when he spoke, was as husky as hers.

"Don't tell me you didn't feel that, Lauren."

Lauren found it difficult to breathe, let alone speak. "That . . . was just physical attraction . . . merely . . ."

"Lust?"
Jason supplied with a grin. "I beg to differ, Cat- eyes. No other woman ever succeeded in turning my vitals inside out with just a kiss. Whatever there is between us is far more than lust. I don't have a name for it, but I wouldn't mind spending a lifetime trying to discover what it is."

She couldn't name it, either, but it was there—a magnetic, vibrant force that drew them together. That same force had been working between them since the first moment they met.

When Lauren made no reply, Jason said softly, "Perhaps now you can see why it was a mistake for me to make love to you. It's doubly hard for me now, being so close and yet so far, having been given a taste of the wine but denied the pleasure of the full cup."

Lauren remained staring up at him. After a moment, Jason's hands dropped from her shoulders. "I think I'll take a turn at the stream," he announced. "You did say the water was cold, did you not? Maybe I'll get lucky and discover it has turned frigid."

Jason didn't seem disturbed by her refusal of his marriage proposal. Nonetheless, Lauren felt unaccountably depressed as she rode beside him that day. The sultry weather continued, as well, making the journey even more miserable. There seemed to be no way to avoid the heat, even when they paused in the shade to rest the horses.

Lauren was rewarded for her uncomplaining fortitude, though, when Jason pulled up well before dusk, declaring they would spend the night there. Her spirits lightened considerably when she spotted the deep, blue-green pool fed by an underground spring. The idea of a bath after the miles of hard riding in the scorching sun was infinitely appealing. Just that morning she had exchanged her faded cotton gown for a fresher one, but it would he a joy to remove all the layers of grime and sweat that had accumulated since then.