Sweet Silken Bondage (42 page)

Reina walked across the deck and was thrilled no
one paid her any mind. She headed down the
gangplank expecting at any minute for someone to
call out to her to stop, but no one did. She couldn't
believe her luck when her feet finally touched terra
firma. It took all of her will-power not to break into
a run. A furtive glance around revealed no sign of
Clay, so she headed for a small group of boys
lingering nearby. She hoped one of them would be
able to tell her where to find a horse.

Knowing that this was the first time Reina would
have the chance to escape him, Clay wasted no tune
in town. As soon as he'd booked the hotel room, he
started straight back to the waterfront. Thoughts of
the night just passed and the passion that had
exploded between them haunted him as he made his
way through Chagres, and he was aggravated that
he couldn't just forget last night had ever happened. It irritated him that he'd been unable to stop from
making love to her after that first kiss, and he
wondered where his much vaunted self-discipline
had been when he'd lost himself in the heat of his
desire for her.

Clay knew he had no business getting involved
with Reina, and as much as he would have loved to
deny it, he was in danger of becoming involved.
His actions last night had shown him just how weak
he could be around her. It was a weakness he
planned never to give in to again. He refused to be
caught like his father. He had learned from him.
He would be strong.

As he neared the ship, the raucous sound of
several youths arguing among themselves, interrupted his train of thought. His first inclination was
to ignore them after a cursory glance in their direction, but for some unknown reason, something
about them drew his attention back. He stopped to
listen.

"I'll get the horse for you," a tall, skinny, ominous-looking, dark-haired youth named Rafael was
offering, "but first let me see the color of your
money, gringo."

"I will get the horse," a shorter native boy interrupted in a more commanding tone.

"Shut up, Chico, I saw him first. I will do it," the
first boy countered, drawing himself up to his full
height in an intimidating move.

"Hey, I know of the perfect horse for you," the
third youth spoke up. "Let me get it for you."

"I've got the money," she said impatiently, "and I
don't care which one of you gets me a horse, just
get it!"

"Pay me, then I will get the horse," Rafael demanded, bullying up to Reina.

She stood her ground, glaring up at him as the
youth towered over her. "Bring me the horse, and
then I'll pay you," she returned, trying to sound as
fearless as she possibly could. "Only a fool would
pay you now."

"And you're no fool?" Rafael smiled wickedly as
he moved menacingly closer. He figured it would be
a very simple thing to take this boy's money. After
all, there were three of them and only one of him.

Reina took a slight step backward at the implied
physical threat.

Clay had remained stock still as he'd listened to
the conversation. He recognized the "boy" as Reina
the moment she'd opened her mouth, and he'd
suddenly become explosively angry. Damn her!
Hadn't he warned her how dangerous Chagres could
be?

The moment Rafael made his ominous move,
Clay reacted. His expression was thunderous as he
stormed toward them. Without preamble, he
grabbed Reina by the upper arm and dragged her
out of harm's way. She uttered a startled cry, then
began to sputter in a rage as she saw it was him.
Her stomach gave a sickening lurch as she realized
that she'd been found out. She tried to pull free,
but he held her fast as he faced down the boys.

"You're right, amigo. This boy's no fool. He has
friends - mean friends," Clay was saying.

"He wanted us to get him a horse."

"I know what he wanted, and from now on, I'll
take care of his traveling needs," he ground out
savagely, his expression murderous.

They had seen that look in the eyes of men
before, and they knew what it meant.

"Whatever you say, hombre" They backed up
nervously and then raced away.

Clay didn't wait to see where they went. Keeping
a firm grip on his captive hellion, he took a step in
the direction of town.

Reina, however, had other ideas. She couldn't
believe he'd shown up, right then, when she was
about to get her horse and get away! She dug in
her heels, resisting his pull with all her might.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Like hell, you're not!" he fumed in a low voice.
"Don't open your mouth again or I swear I'll throw
you over my shoulder and carry you off! I warned
you, Reina!"

Reina stopped struggling, but she let him feel her
reluctance as he led her off. She had expected him
to take her back on board so she could change
clothes and was surprised when he didn't. She hung
back the entire distance into town, and, when he
led her up the steps of one of the better looking,
though a far cry from sumptuous, hotels, she tried
to bolt. Clay's hand tightened on her with bruising
force, and the look he shot her convinced her that
his earlier threat still held.

He dragged her through the small lobby, completely ignoring the amused, interested stares of the
other guests and then hauled her behind him up the
stairs to the single room he'd rented for the night.
When he'd unlocked and pushed the door wide, he
shoved her roughly through in front of him. The
room was sparsely furnished with only a bed and
single dresser, but Reina didn't even notice as Clay
slammed the door behind him. The sound of the
lock turning sent a shiver of fear through her.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?"
His face was a glowering mask of fury as he jerked
her around to face him.

"What do you think?" Reina challenged defiantly, tearing her arm free of him.

"Don't you realize what might have happened to
you?"

"Yes," she challenged with a lift of her chin, "I
might have gotten away from you! My disguise was
certainly clever enough!" She was proud of what
she'd almost accomplished, and she wasn't going to
let him browbeat her.

"Your disguise." Clay spat, his hand snaking out
to rip the hat from her head and throw it aside.

Reina's ebony hair tumbled down freely about her
shoulders. "Was perfect!" she finished sharply for
him. "If only those boys hadn't been so stupid..."

"You're the one who was stupid!" he cut in. "You
could have been killed!"

"I could have been free!" she argued heatedly.
"Free of you and free of Nathan!"

"You're never going to be free of me," Clay
snarled, his anger growing unbounded over her continued refusal to listen to reason. "Not until I deliver you to your father. Now, get out of those
ridiculous clothes"

"I will not," she defied him.

"Oh, yes, you will. You told me once not too
long ago that you were a lady. I expect you to dress
like one." He stepped toward her, and she backed
away. He was relentless in his pursuit, trapping her
between the bed and the wall.

Pushed to the limit, enraged and feeling more
than helpless, she hissed, "I don't care what you
expect or want!"

"I know. You don't care about anybody or anything except yourself," Clay said viciously. "Now get
undressed."

"No!" Reina's back was to the wall. There was
nowhere left to run. Still, she met his gaze boldly, refusing to give in.

"I've had enough of your disguises, Reina. Are
you going to take it off or am I?"

"You just try!"

It was all the challenge Clay needed right then.
Never in his life had he met anyone who could
rouse such near violent emotions within him. Seeing
her being threatened by those boys had enraged
him, and now her stubbornness filled him with a
driving need to show her just who was in charge
here-again. Provoked beyond reason, he reached
out for her shirt.

"Don't touch me!" Reina ordered, trying to avoid
his hands.

Clay was not to be deterred, however, and he got
hold of the shirt anyway. He pulled it roughly over
her head leaving her naked to the waist as she stood
before him. He crushed it in his hands, then cast it
aside in disgust. She wrapped her arms around
herself in a modest gesture, shielding her breasts
from view. Her protective action touched a chord of
response within Clay, but her next words jarred him
again.

"There! Are you satisfied?"

"The pants next, Reina."

"No.

Demons he didn't understand and didn't want to
understand drove him on, he said nothing more,
but reached out and untied the narrow cord that
served as a belt. The loose-fitting pants dropped
away. Reina did not cower away from him now, but
met his gaze daringly.

The sight of her standing there completely vulnerable, yet at the same time, proud and unflinching, moved Clay deeply. He had won this battle,
but at what price? His victory over her had been a physical one again. He had forced her to his will.
He remembered her words from the night before,
and though he knew it was true, he couldn't stop
his own desire for her. He wanted her. His body
was on fire with the need to have her again.

"There'll be no more disguises, Reina. The games
are over."

Reina saw it in his eyes-the flaring passion that
neither one of them could control, and she began to
tremble. Her instincts for survival screamed to her
to flee before she lost herself in his arms again.

There was nowhere for her to go, though, as
Clay loomed before her, the single, biggest threat to
her existence. She hated everything he stood for, yet
there was something so utterly irresistible about him
that she could refuse him nothing. When his hands
closed over her shoulders, she held herself rigid,
refusing to give in immediately, trying to fight with
all her might the raging inferno of madness that
swept through her at his touch.

And madness it was, as he had his way with her.
Their joining was cataclysmic. Each caress followed
by another more demanding one. Each kiss more
desperate than the last. Anger transformed to desire. Desire to ecstasy's passion.

Clay's clothes were discarded in haste as the fury
of their need urged them to hurry.. .hurry before
reality intruded. As excitement took them to the
heights, the very pinnacle of breathless delight, all
else was forgotten. They were no longer adversaries,
but nameless lovers without past or future. They
were no longer hunter and quarry, but two souls
bound by something so powerful, they were frightened by the immensity of it, and so, denied its
existence.

Clay's obligations drove him. His heart was still cold and wary of this thing called love.

Reina, too, was disbelieving. She felt uncertain
that this physical need she had only for him could
be more than just that. She thought his desire for
her was only a means of coercion, that he really felt
nothing for her. Hadn't he said as much?

But even as their emotions roiled in confusion,
they were swept up in sea of rapture. All rational
thought was lost as their bodies united in perfect
oneness. There was only feeling and touching and
love's bliss in its wake.

As quickly as it had happened, it was over, and
Reina could not bring herself to look at Clay. She
rolled away from his intoxicating nearness, needing
time to pull herself together. This has to end! she
raged at herself. She couldn't allow this to go on.
She rose from the bed and wrapped a blanket
around her.

"Do you know what you've done to me?" she
asked, frantic for answers to questions she didn't
even know.

Clay had been too bewildered by what had happened to move or to think-until she spoke.

"What are you talking about?" The mellow mood
that had held him evaporated before the coldness of
her question. He glanced over at her and saw the
misery and torment mirrored in her eyes.

"You were sent to find me and bring me back to
my father. You were hired to protect me during
that journey." She gave a brittle laugh. "But it seems
you're the only one I need protection from."

Her words were like lashes from a whip, cutting
him to shreds, tearing into his soul.

"I can't fight you," she said. "You're stronger than
I am. I can't escape you. You block my every
move. What do you want from me?"

When he didn't respond, she went on.

"Leave me alone, Clay. Just stay away from me."

Her words of the night before echoed painfully
through him again. He might possess her body, but he'd
never possess her. He dressed, feeling strangely bereft.
He gathered her boys' clothes and started to the
door.

"I'm taking these with me. I need to be sure you
won't leave the room while I'm gone. As soon as I
see that the rest of our things are unloaded from
the boat, I'll be back."

Reina did not look up. She was sitting on the
side of the bed with her back to him, and she
stayed that way until long after he'd gone. Only
then did she give vent to her tears.