This Fierce Splendor

“Yes.” She wished she could stop shaking. He was right, this was between them and no one else. He was terribly angry with her and meant to punish her in some way; nothing could be clearer. Well, she had known that taunting him would be dangerous and she had done it anyway. She mustn’t be a coward now that he temporarily had the upper hand. What could he do to her that would be so terrible? He obviously didn’t want to hurt her physically. Perhaps he was only trying to intimidate her into giving up and leaving Hell’s Bluff. Perhaps being alone with Dominic could be to her advantage. She would be able to talk to him without having to pursue him and-

His big hands were on her waist, lifting her through the window onto the landing of the second floor balcony. The arguments she had been giving herself flew away from her like birds in autumn. His hands were terribly strong as they spanned her slight waist, and his features in the moonlight appeared flint-hard. She was once again acutely conscious of both the helplessness of her position and her femininity. Her breath caught in her throat as she met his gaze.

His pale eyes were searching her face. “You are frightened.” His lips curved in a smile of savage satisfaction. “Good. I want you to be frightened of me. I want your knees to shake and I want your eyes to look at me as if you’re afraid I’m going to eat you. I want to touch you and feel you tremble.”

She drew a deep, quivering breath. “Then you’re certainly getting what you want, aren’t you? But there’s something you should know.”

His lips twisted in a sardonic smile. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you have four fierce brothers who will ride in pursuit and avenge this shocking infamy I’m heaping on their little sister?”

“No, I have no one to defend me.”

Something flickered in the hardness of Dominic’s face and then was gone. “How fortunate for me. Then may I ask what you think I should know?”

“I cannot ride a horse.”

The cabin before which Dominic had finally stopped was located on a plateau that bordered the steep incline of a rockstrewn gorge. It was a good ten miles from Hell’s Bluff, and by the time it had come into view Elspeth had doubted she had an unbruised bone in her body and was positive there was not an inch of her flesh left unscathed. “You didn’t have to make the horse run,” she said tartly as Dominic reined in his black stallion in front of the cabin. “I know you’re a wee bit angry with me but-”

“I’m more than a ‘wee’ bit angry.” Dominic slipped from his saddle and came around to lift her down from the chestnut mare on which she was mounted. “And if I’d wanted the horse to punish you instead of reserving that pleasure for myself, I would have had her trot, not gallop. Its far more painful.”

“It couldn’t be.”

“It is.” He was swiftly untying her wrists and he paused to smile down at her, his blue-gray eyes glittering coldly in the moonlight. “I’ll make sure your next ride is more comfortable… even entertaining.”

His hand encircled her left wrist and he pulled her toward the small log structure that looked to be more of a shack than a cabin. When she drew closer she could see the crude structure had obviously been hurriedly built of logs that were still green and mismatched.

Dominic threw open the door and drew her into the darkness of the cabin before releasing her wrist. “Stay here.” She heard the click of the heels of his boots on the wooden floor as he crossed the room.

As Dominic lit the oil lamp on the table across the room, Elspeth saw the inside of the cabin was just as unattractive as its exterior and consisted of rough pine flooring with a multitude of unfilled knotholes and a flat roof fitted so poorly she could see the glitter of stars through slender spaces between the mismatched logs. The small room contained little furniture. A horsehair mat in the far corner which presumably served as a bed and the pine table beside which Dominic was standing had one leg shorter than the others and sloped drunkenly toward an equally clumsily built companion chair. Instead of glass in the one window beside the door, newspapers, yellowed and made brittle by exposure to the elements, were nailed across the opening.

“Someone lives in this place?” Elspeth asked incredulously.

“Jim isn’t here much. He’s away for weeks at a time prospecting in the hills. It serves his purpose.” Dominic’s white teeth gleamed in the lamplight as he smiled mirthlessly at her from across the small room. “As it will serve ours. Soon you won’t even notice your surroundings.” He turned away from the table and headed for the door. “I’m going to unsaddle and water the horses. I wouldn’t try to run away if I were you. There’s no possible help within five miles of this place and the hills are full of snakes and scorpions. If you don’t fall off the mountain, you’ll have them to contend with.” He paused at the door to look back at her. “And I’d find you anyway. I’ve gone to a hell of a lot of trouble to bring you here, and I have no intention of letting you get away.”

Snakes. Elspeth tried to repress the familiar panic the thought sent streaking through her. She smiled shakily as she pushed her spectacles up to the bridge of her small nose. “I’m not going to try to escape. It would be foolish. I know nothing about mountains and snakes and…” She waved a hand. “I forgot what else you said.”

“Scorpions,” he repeated. He stood there a moment, glowering at her. “Why the hell are you being so meek? Why aren’t you fighting me?”

“Would it help me if I fought you? Would it make you change your mind?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.” She crossed the room and sat down on the wooden chair. Her spine was very straight as she laced her fingers together on her lap. “You’re a determined man, but I don’t believe you’re a cruel one. I’ll wait for you here and we’ll discuss this turn of events when you return.”

He gazed at her, a variety of emotions flitting across his face. Then he muttered something violent beneath his breath that expressed both his frustration and exasperation, turned on his heel, and strode out of the cabin.

Elspeth released her breath in a rush and sagged back in the chair. While Dominic had been in the room she had felt as if she were caged with a wild animal. What a foolish comparison, she thought wearily. She had no idea what it would be like to be caged with a beast. She knew nothing about dangerous animals or dangerous men. So what in heaven’s name was she doing here?

The answer came to her at once. Kantalan. She had to find Kantalan. She mustn’t fall apart now. She was actually doing quite well. Except for that hideously jarring ride, she had suffered no real pain or discomfort, and as yet Dominic had done nothing more than threaten her. Perhaps that was all he intended to do. She straightened in the chair and carefully composed her features. There was no shame in admitting to being afraid, no matter what her father had told her. The shame would lie in not facing down her fear.

The door opened and then slammed shut behind Dominic.

She instinctively braced herself, but he ignored her as he strode over to the horsehair mat in the corner and spread a clean tan woolen blanket on the mat’s dusty surface.

He turned to look at her, a crooked smile lifting the corner of his lips. “You see how considerate I am? I wouldn’t want that soft white skin to get dirty.”

“Thank you.”

His smile faded and anger tightened his lips. “God-dammit, fight me!” He reached her in two strides and jerked her out of the chair. His hands cupped her shoulders as his eyes blazed down at her. “I’m not going to discuss this. I’ve brought you here for one purpose and nothing is going to sway me from that purpose. Don’t you understand that, dammit?”

She nodded. “You want to punish me. You needn’t yell at me. You’re making yourself very clear.”

“I’m not yelling!”

“It seemed to me you were, but perhaps I’m so frightened I no longer know the difference.” Her eyes widened behind the thick lenses of her spectacles. “What are you doing?”

He had stepped back and was shrugging out of his suede coat. “I’m undressing. It’s not always customary in these instances, but I hate quick tumbles. I’d undress you first, but I’m not sure I’d be able to wait once I started.” He had removed his shirt and belt and now placed them both on the table beside him. His fingers went to the waistband of his black trousers, his gaze fixed intently on her face. “Because I’ve been wondering ever since that morning at Rina’s if the skin beneath those black draperies is softer than the flesh I touched. Do you know what sort of fires are kindled in a man by that kind of wondering?” He undid the first button of the trousers. “Shall I show you?”

She shook her head. “You’re trying to frighten me. I know you have no intention or ravishing me. Why should you? I’m not the sort of woman men desire. You cannot want me.”

“I cannot?” He smilied faintly. “I must have very peculiar tastes, for I find I most certainly can and do, and you’re most definitely about to be ravished, Elspeth. Why the hell do you think I brought you here?”