Harnessed Passions (57 page)

"You know me so well; you can tell what I'm
feeling?"

"I know exactly how you feel," she teased
and proved her point by wrapping her delicate fingers around his
penis. Daniel growled and closed his eyes, allowing her to play
with him for several long moments.

“
You are very good at
feeling me out,” he teased her as he reached for her camisole and
pulled it over her head. “Now it's my turn to know how you feel."
Julia giggled as he began kissing her neck; his long fingers
traveled across her breasts to her nipples where he pinched and
tugged on them until she moaned.

"Exactly what are you planning on feeling,
Mr. Browning?" The sudden courage of her attitude enlightened and
aroused him as he leaned down, her taking one hard nipple between
his teeth.

"Everything I can," he whispered against her
flesh. "And so much more."

Julia leaned back against the pillow
relishing in the man's touch His lips played a wicked rhythm
against her breast, his fingers traveling slowly down her stomach
to dip into the heat radiating up from between her legs. She moved
her knee so he could gain further access, allowing him to slide two
fingers into her tight vagina.

Daniel smiled against her breast as she
moaned, then slowly and deliberately moved his mouth across her
sternum, over her tummy to settle between her legs.

Julia moved her legs wider apart to
accommodate her husband’s shoulders as he began kissing and teasing
the flesh beneath the dark curls. Daniel smiled at the soft moan
she offered him when he opened her labia, finding and teasing the
swollen bud of her clitoris.

The sensations were driving her wild and
Julia soon gave into them, relaxing into the deep thrusts his
fingers were performing inside her; his tongue and teeth teasing
and tormenting her throbbing clitoris until she felt the mind
splitting dizziness that embraced her. She twined her fingers in
his thick hair and held him to her as she cried out, finding and
basking in the euphoria of her climax.

Daniel allowed her to ride out the waves of
passion before he rose above her, his strong arms bracing his
weight as he gently moved inside her tight, wet vagina. Julia
moaned; relishing the sensations that burned to life by the deep
thrusts he provided as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her hips lifted, her head fell back and her
legs tightened as once again she felt the insanity overtake her.
Her vaginal muscles tightened around him as he drove into her
harder, faster and finally collapsing across her delicate frame as
he spilled the heat of his desire inside her. Daniel growled a low,
savage sound like a wild animal on the hunt and Julia smiled; in
his arms was where she belonged and the only place she ever wished
to be.

Several minutes ticked by, before their
breathing eased and they were able to think. Daniel rolled to his
back pulling Julia against his side as he moved. They laid there
together listening to the quiet of the room, the crickets outside
and soft breeze blowing through the open door; billowing the
curtains like clouds of powder blue cotton. Julia was more content
than she had ever felt before. Every time this man touched her, she
fell deeper in love with him.

"I'd just like to know where you get all
your energy," she whispered, snuggling closer to his side. Daniel
chuckled contentedly, holding her with firm conviction.

"I have a store of it and I keep it right
here," he touched her gently between the breasts, his fingers
feeling the steady beat of her heart beneath his touch. Julia
smiled, lifting his hand to her lips and kissing his palm
tenderly.

"I love you so much," she whispered. He
smiled as he brushed away the stray hairs that found their way
across her cheek. The thoughts of earlier filtered through the
passion and peace he had built a few minutes ago. He had to tell
her he was sending her to Boston, but it wasn't going to be easy.
His heart felt as though it was being ripped apart with the
knowledge of what he had to do.

"Daniel?" she asked him softly. "What's
wrong? Aren't you happy?" Daniel forced the lump threatening his
composure, down his dry throat.

"I couldn't be happier than I am right now,
with you in my arms."

"Then what is it? You look upset and don't
lie to me again. I want the truth. What happened between you and
Harold?"

"Nothing," he told her honestly. "He just
suggested perhaps you needed a little more rest. He thought it
might be a good idea for you to take a few weeks off and go visit
you aunt and uncle in Boston."

"He did...or you did?" Julia asked with
suspicion edging her tone.

"Actually we both did."

"Why?"

"Princess, I think you should have some fun
for a change. You've been cooped up here for weeks and you have
wanted to go back and see the new baby.."

"Don't you want me here Daniel?" she sat up
next to him, the sudden jump of her heart made her think he was
trying to get rid of her for some reason.

"Of course I do Julia," he scolded softly.
"I love you. Letting you go to be the hardest thing I’ve ever
done."

"Then why are you doing it?"

"Julia, please trust me. You need some time
away and now is the perfect chance."

"What happened tonight to make you decide to
get rid of me?"

"Princess please, you're making too big of a
deal out of this." Daniel threw the covers aside and stood up out
of bed, pacing his way to the wash basin where he poured some water
into the porcelain bowl. Julia watched as he splashed water across
his face before he turned to her and dabbed the moisture off on the
soft towel.

"I want the truth Daniel. Why do you want me
to leave?" "Dammit Julia, just trust me alright? It's the best
thing."

"For whom? I don't want to leave. I don't
want to go back to Boston, I have a life and a husband here and I
want to stay with both."

"After everything that's happened lately,
you're lucky to have a life to fall back on. Don't you understand,
somebody's trying to kill you and I want you out of the way before
they succeed?"

"How do you know they want me dead?" She
felt the chill of fear rip down her spine as she looked into the
beautiful blue eyes that stared back at her. She could see his
fears, his need and his pain, but at the moment her own emotion
seemed to outweigh his.

"Nobody had to tell me Princess, I have eyes
of my own. You've been attacked twice now. If I had allowed you to
leave when you first wanted to, we may have avoided the second
attempt all together. I won't give them the chance to try
again."

"I see," was all she said before turning
over and pulling the blankets up across her naked chest.

Daniel felt awful, he hadn't handled any of
this very well. He had hoped to convince her to take a vacation and
have the time to clear things up before she got back. He wanted to
have a life with her, a family, without the fears of speculations
or the threat of danger to haunt them. He didn't intend to upset
her or make her feel unwanted and he certainly didn't want to
frighten her.

"Julia, look at me," he insisted sitting
next to her on the bed. Julia glanced up to see the intent
sincerity on his face and felt a knot tighten inside her stomach.
"I didn't mean to snap at you. I just think it would be better if
you had some time away from the ranch. Please give me the chance to
find out what's going on around here."

"Have you heard about the mystery woman the
hands claim to have seen the night of the fire?" Her question took
him completely off guard.

"How did you hear about that?"

"Bridget told Mrs. Lester, who told
Thompson. I just happened to overhear. You think it was me too,
don't you?"

"Of course I don't."

"Rumor has it everyone else does. The woman
had long dark hair and rode a chestnut colored horse. I'm the only
one within ten miles of here who has a mare of that color."

"In case you've forgotten, you and I were in
bed when the fire broke out, remember? There's no way you could
have been in two places at once."

"Did you know there have been other
sightings of a woman with dark hair around the stables?” she
continued, ignoring his alibi for her. “She's been seen every time
there’s trouble. One hand claims it was me and he even spoke with
me. He swears I was wearing a white satin gown, but disappeared as
soon as he turned his back, like a phantom or a demon in the
night."

"Julia that's crazy. Why would you want to
jeopardize your safety or that of the people on this ranch? This is
your home."

"According to Bridget, I'd do anything to
get out of our marriage and out of my father's will; even if it
meant burning the place to the ground."

"I think it's time Bridget found another
position," Daniel growled reaching for his pants.

"My father wrote about the woman in his
journal," she told him, stopping his hand in mid motion.

"How did you know about that?" Julia picked
up the book she had been reading and handed it to him. Daniel eyed
the black binding before looking back at her.

"Do you still think I'm innocent?"

"Yes I do," he confirmed with a deep tone.
"Most of those things happened before you ever returned here. I
don't know who this woman is, but I'll be damned if I'll let rumors
destroy your reputation."

"What reputation Daniel? Most people around
here still think I killed Heather out of a fit of jealousy. How
many do you think will believe I'm not behind everything else?
Hell, I'm surprised I haven't been accused of starting the civil
war."

"Julia, listen to me, I don't know who's
behind all of this, but I do know it's not you. There's no
conceivable way on earth you could have tried to drown yourself.
You're not suicidal and you're not crazy. I'll do whatever is
necessary to put an end to all these rumors once and for all. I’m
just asking you to give me time and to trust me."

"Perhaps I am crazy," she replied softly,
staring at the ceiling. "I've seen ghosts, remember? How many sane
people have seen spirits from beyond the grave?"

"I don't want to hear anything more about
that," he snapped, shaking her shoulders roughly. "You didn't see a
ghost and Heather Farnsworth is not out for revenge."

"You can't be certain though, can you?"

"Julia, go to sleep," Daniel's temper and
mood was becoming dangerously out of control. He stood and walked
to his side of the bed and fell to the mattress. "I don't want the
subject to come up again, understand?" She didn't respond, instead
she turned her back on him offering him her stubbornness as
companion.

"When would I leave?" she asked, after
several minutes of tense silence. Daniel didn't answer at first. He
wanted to tell her he'd changed his mind, but knew he had to get
her out of the line of fire.

"As soon as we can make the arrangements."
Julia fell into silence again. Neither of them wanted to face this
moment, yet they didn't know what else to do.

"I'll wire my aunt tomorrow and book passage
for this Friday." Daniel growled under his breath. It was too soon.
Three days, that was all he had left with her. Three days to hold
her, to touch her, to love her. Three days to make sure she never
forgot she was his...heart and soul.

Thursday night came all too soon for either
Julia or Daniel's comfort. They had barely spoken more than two
sentences in private since the decision for the trip to Boston had
been made. They tried to act as though all was fine, eating their
meals together, talking about the day's events, the trip and even
the upcoming sales, yet the air was thick with unspoken emotions
and by evening Daniel felt certain he'd suffocate on the
tension.

Julia was in a constant state of misery. She
felt annoyed with herself; she should be happy to finally be
returning to the city she loved so much, but instead the idea of
leaving Kentucky and Daniel made a lump form in her throat that
just wouldn't go away. She had wired her aunt Lena telling of her
plans to visit for a couple of weeks and booked passage for herself
and Louise, who had agreed to Daniel's request to accompany her
daughter on the trip. All was set into motion and the time to leave
was approaching fast, but the feeling of regret made the
anticipation of the trip less than pleasant.

Her bags and trunk had been packed earlier
that morning and even Margie stopped by to bid her farewell, giving
Julia a list of items she wanted her to purchase while in Boston.
Dinner was served earlier than usual since Louise was determined to
get as much rest as possible before the trip. She swore they'd get
no sleep whatsoever on the train and certain they'd be beyond
exhaustion when they arrived Saturday morning.

The summer breeze blew through the open
doors of the veranda and the twilight of evening found Julia and
Daniel alone in the family room, silence surrounding them like a
tomb. They didn't speak or bother with the pretense of
conversation; in fact they barely looked at each other as they sat
next to the hearth of the large fireplace. Finally, out of
desperation and a deep growing depression, Julia silently excused
herself and went upstairs to her room.

Daniel watched his wife leave, his eyes
fixed on her posterior until she disappeared behind the winding
stairs. He felt as though his heart was being ripped apart at the
seams. He didn't want Julia to leave him, he didn't want to be
without her even for an hour, yet he knew he had no choice. She was
in danger here, the longer she remained the worse things seemed to
get.

With her out of the way he could use his
time to investigate, question everyone involved and perhaps find a
few answers. He was certain he could put an end to the mysteries
surrounding the ranch before she returned and he was determined to
learn the true identity of the mystery woman many claimed was his
beloved wife. Even though he tried to convince himself leaving was
for Julia's best interest, he found letting her go
excruciating.