Page 18 of The Bastard Heir (The Gilded West #2)

An image of her pale skin glowing in the darkness of his room flashed through his mind.

He was licking that scent from her skin, tasting her, shattering her composure.

He moved his hand to the railing, dislodging her touch as he stared out across the field and tried to scrub the image from his mind.

He replaced it with memories of that time he and Hunter had been holed up in a muddy canyon for two days with no food, in the cold rain, while being shot at relentlessly. It helped, but only a little.

“It’s ignorance—like you said. I’m sorry you have to deal with that.

” And this is why she was so worried about marriage standing in her way.

If she married someone with Bonham’s attitudes there wasn’t any way she would be attending school.

Of course, he knew many people felt the same.

Except that he’d been too much in his own world the past few years, obsessed with finding Derringer and earning money to resurrect the hacienda, and he’d stopped interacting with society.

He tightened his hand on the railing. Perhaps she wasn’t that much different from him.

She was fighting for something she wanted against a world that seemed intent on making it tougher for her.

He blew out a breath, the dark, looming shadows of the hills in the distance drawing his attention.

There was that flicker of light again. Definitely a signal.

They’d had men take watch over the east field and west field.

Was it one of them? He’d need to check it out before heading upstairs to bed.

He was tired and was scheduled to take over the watch well before sunrise.

Playing suitor and tracking Derringer was proving to be exhausting work.

“Does that light mean something?”

He whipped his head around. She was looking out toward the same light he’d seen, her brows knitted together.

“No.” It was an automatic response. He could simply tell her that it was likely a signal that one of the men on watch had found something.

But he still couldn’t trust her completely.

He’d been keeping things quiet for so long in his quest to find Derringer, he wasn’t certain he’d ever be able to trust anyone outside of his small circle of brothers ever again. “Why would it mean something?”

She shrugged. “You tensed when you saw it.”

Mierda, she was observant. She hadn’t mentioned it, but she’d noted the weapons on their ride today.

Her brows had knitted together like now, like she was trying to figure him out.

He’d have to be more careful. There was no sense in creating panic when he didn’t even know if Derringer had his sights set on the Jameson Ranch.

The ass would be stupid to target it. It was common knowledge that it was well protected.

“I’m always tense.” He tried to smile but failed miserably.

“Maybe, but that’s not it. You were tense on the picnic today, too. And while it’s true this is my first visit here, I don’t think it’s normal to travel to a picnic at the river armed with a rifle and at least one revolver, not to mention the guns Hunter carried.”

“Never hurts to be cautious.” Even he could admit that was a weak argument.

“Cautious?” She turned to face him, leaning her hips back against the railing. It seemed so natural to put his hands on either side of her, to lean in, that he almost did that, catching himself just in time. “Do you think we’re in danger?”

He took in a deep breath. He was in danger right now.

His gaze darted down to her mouth and she licked her lips, as if getting them moist for him.

His brain stuttered over some way to allay her fears without raising her suspicions even further, but her next words ground his thoughts to a complete halt.

“Will you kiss me, Castillo?” she whispered.

His breath stopped in his throat and he stared into eyes that widened as if she’d only just realized she’d voiced the request. His heart punched against his chest, trying to make him move toward her, and before he realized it, he was mere inches from her mouth.

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?” she whispered.

Why couldn’t he do it? She was right here in front of him.

Her plump bottom lip shimmered in the light of the oil lantern.

Her tongue darted out again nervously and he wanted to chase it, to suck it into his mouth and learn her taste.

His hand stroked the silky skin of her bare arm as his palm moved up to rest on her shoulder.

He could feel her delicate bones beneath her flesh, smell her lavender scent, feel the heat from her body as he angled himself closer.

“One kiss wouldn’t be enough,” he said. It wouldn’t be.

He hadn’t really touched her yet, but this longing she created within him wasn’t asking for something so casual as a kiss.

It wanted more. All of her. Yet even as he warned her off, he tilted his head, already anticipating the touch of her mouth.

Her breath brushed across his chin. “Carolina,” he whispered.

“Is wanting more so bad?” she whispered back.

Yes. Very bad. His mind yelled the words, but couldn’t make his body listen to them. He just kept moving toward her, crowding her back against the porch railing. She reached up and grabbed his biceps, her fingers squeezing into him gently.

His lips touched hers, a soft caress that was more teasing than kiss. It wasn’t nearly enough, but he drew back before he gave into the temptation to dip his tongue inside her. His breath came as fast as it did after a fight.

“This is only an agreement.” He said it as much to remind himself as to remind her.

If it were only an agreement, then why did it feel like more?

“We have no future together. You know that.” Even as he spoke, he couldn’t draw his gaze from her mouth.

Her lips were pink and perfect. He knew the bottom one would be lush and soft between his teeth.

“I know, but I don’t think a future is required for kissing.” The words, or perhaps it was the way he was looking at her, made her blush. It rose from her breasts all the way up her neck to her cheeks.

His whole body tightened. His mind had gone far past kissing—at least, in the way she meant it.

He wanted to kiss her mouth, but he also wanted to dip his tongue into that indentation where her neck met her shoulder, to savor the pink of her nipples, to taste the nectar between her thighs.

Somehow, his body had gone far past mild flirtation faster than it ever had before.

He shifted his hands to the railing at her back and leaned down, afraid that if he held on to her he’d crush her against him and she’d feel how hard he was.

“You’re right.” He covered her mouth with his and she sighed against his lips as she opened for him.

He traced the wet rim of her lips with his tongue and found her hot and so damn sweet he couldn’t resist pushing further.

His tongue delved deeper, brushing hers and sending fingers of pleasure dragging down his spine.

Shrill laughter rent the night air, dispersing the haze of arousal that held them locked together.

Prudence, along with Caroline’s father, approached around the corner, their heels echoing on the wood floor of the veranda.

He drew back, gasping for air. Despite his vow not to compromise her, he’d been very close to doing just that.

Tanner and Bonham’s voices could still be heard coming from inside.

He hadn’t even waited for privacy to touch her. Pushing off the railing, he walked in the opposite direction of her aunt and father, and jumped down to the ground, heading off into the darkness to get himself under control.

***

Castillo disappeared into the inky darkness of the night as soon as he stepped from the ring of light cast by the lantern.

The moon was covered by clouds. Caroline’s only clue to his whereabouts was that she could still hear his boots on the packed dirt as he hurried away.

Each step matched the nearly frantic beat of her heart.

Her lips were warm from his and she still tasted the heady mixture of whiskey and peppermint from his tongue.

“Caroline?” Aunt Prudie’s concerned voice came from far too close behind her.

She turned to find her aunt standing just feet away, a puzzled look on her face that told Caroline she’d almost certainly missed something the woman had said.

Caroline’s father was coming up behind Aunt Prudie, his gaze narrowed in the direction in which Castillo had disappeared.

Their presence explained why he’d left so abruptly.

Caroline had been too absorbed in the kiss to even hear them approach. How much had they seen?

Caroline couldn’t resist one last glance over her shoulder, but Castillo was gone. When she looked back, Aunt Prudie’s concerned expression had changed to one of amusement. “Enjoying your evening, dear?”

They hadn’t seen the kiss. Caroline couldn’t allow herself to believe it, but her aunt’s gaze had dropped to her lips.

The impulse to touch them was too great for Caroline to ignore, so she’d pressed her fingertips against them before she’d thought better of it.

They felt a little tender. Caroline dropped her hand, curling it into a fist at her side. “It’s a lovely evening. How about you?”

“Lovely indeed. Samuel and I have been having a pleasant walk. Perhaps you’d like to take a stroll with Mr. Jameson?” Aunt Prudie raised a brow and tilted her head toward the path Castillo had taken.

“I don’t…um…I think he had to go talk to someone.” Caroline glanced back at her father. He didn’t seem angry, but his brow was furrowed in concern as he stared out at the night sky. Perhaps he hadn’t seen the kiss and only knew they’d been talking.

Guilt tightened her chest. She didn’t like lying to these people she loved more than any others in the entire world.

It suddenly felt wrong to give Aunt Prudie hope when Caroline knew that nothing would ever come of her relationship with Castillo.

It seemed wrong to continue allowing her father to worry, as he so obviously was worrying right now.

But most of all, it seemed wrong to keep Castillo from the mission that called to him. He could have been out all evening searching for the man responsible for his grandfather’s death, but instead he’d been here with her.

“I’m going to go to bed. I haven’t been sleeping well.” She needed to get away and think about what to do.

“Is everything all right?” her father asked.

“I’m tired.” Caroline smiled and kissed his cheek goodnight. After some murmured words of concern from Aunt Prudie, Caroline made her way to her room to think.