Sweet Silken Bondage Read online

  Realizing that he had to keep up his pretense, Clay smiled tenderly, gently framed her face with his hands and kissed her one, last, fleeting time. It was a simple kiss, a mere grazing of their lips, but he found it so intoxicating that he drew away, unsettled. Clay had had a tight rein on his emotions and hadn't expected to feel anything.

  Reina was moved by Clay's tenderness and caught up in the thrilling thought that he cared for her and wanted her. She suddenly felt the need to confess everything to him, to be fully open and honest with him.

  "Clay, I-" she began, but just when she would have told him the truth, Lucien and David came upon them.

  "Here you are." David's mood was jolly. He had stalled Lucien as long as he could before finally agreeing to come looking for Clay and Isabel.

  "We were wondering where you'd gone," Lucien sounded almost sullen.

  "We just came outside for a while to enjoy the night air, but we're just about ready to go back in."

  "Good," Lucien agreed, quickly moving to insinuate himself between Clay and Reina. He offered her his arm. "I'd like to finish our dance without interruptions this time, if it's at all possible."

  Trapped because she could not refuse without insulting him, Reina agreed and allowed Lucien to escort her back inside. She managed one last glance back at Clay where he still stood in the shadows. Their gazes locked briefly until the other man's conversation forced her to look away.

  Clay scowled as he watched her disappear indoors with Lucien. He wondered why he felt suddenly driven to go after her. He'd gotten what he'd needed from her-a promise to meet him tomorrow Why should he care what she did the rest of the night?

  "Clay? Are you coming?" David asked as he waited for him near the french doors.

  "Yes, right now."

  "Isabel's some woman, isn't she?"

  "That she is" he agreed. Though he hated to admit it or give her credit for anything, there was much more to Reina than just her exquisite looks.

  "Are you going to give Lucien a run for his money with her?"

  "Well, we've already made plans to picnic tomorrow. Who knows what will happen after that? Let's go get a drink, what do you say?"

  They entered the house and as they made their way through the ballroom toward the study, Clay saw Reina on the dance floor with Lucien. He told himself that he didn't care that she was in his arms, laughing and obviously having a good time. But as he watched them, an emotion he'd never felt before gnawed at him. He was glad when he and David reached the hall and moved out of sight, and he knew a bourbon was going to taste real good right then.

  "I can't believe it, Reina!" Emilie said with open delight as they sat together later that night in Reina's room sharing tales of the party. "Clay Cordell really asked you to go on a picnic with him tomorrow?"

  "Yes," she answered excitedly, almost ready to count the hours until they'd be together again. "Oh, Emilie, he was so wonderful..."

  "It's not fair! Here, Rose and I tried all night long to get an introduction and we never could, and you didn't even want to meet him, and you're the one who ends up seeing him again!" Emilie raged on good-naturedly against the injustices of romance.

  "I know," she mused. "Clay seemed to think that it was fate that brought us together."

  "Fate or the Randolphs," her friend remarked with a grin. "Well, at least, I'll get to meet him tomorrow when he comes for you."

  "He told me as we were leaving the party that he'd probably arrive a little before noon. He wants to show me around their plantation."

  "Windown is beautiful. The Cordells breed the finest horseflesh in the state, and do they have money!" Emilie's tone gave testimony to the Cordells' considerable fortune. Then, ever the romantic, she fantasized wildly, "I've got it!"

  "Got what?"

  "The solution to all your problems!"

  "Oh, really," Reina chuckled.

  "Really! You should elope with Clay! That way you'd never again have to worry about your father or Nathan Marlow."

  Reina's eyes sparkled with merriment, though in her heart she couldn't deny that she found the thought of being married to Clay quite a pleasant prospect. "That's not a bad idea, Emilie, but he has to ask first."

  "Who knows? Maybe he will."

  "Well, if he does, I just might take him up on it!"

  They laughed together in easy camaraderie and then fell to discussing the rest of the evening.

  "I have to be honest about this and tell you that it doesn't sit well with me," Philip said as he spoke with Clay much later that night in the study at Windown.

  "And it doesn't sit well with me that Dev's locked up in a damned jail cell in Monterey!" Clay ground out.

  Philip didn't respond. He knew there was nothing he could say that would change his son's mind about what he had to do.

  "I'll be leaving tomorrow," Clay finally spoke again.

  "Do you know when you'll be back?" Philip changed the subject, wanting to avoid any further controversy on this, their last night together.

  Clay appreciated him not talking about Reina and the job he had to do. He softened toward him, visibly relaxing a bit. "I can't be sure. I promise you, though, I'll try to return as quickly as I can."

  Philip managed a bittersweet smile as he regarded his offspring. He was proud of Clay. He had grown into a fine, strong man. "I can't ask for more than that. But when you do come back, you have to do one thing for me."

  "What?"

  "Bring Dev with you."

  Clay smiled easily. "I will."

  "I'm going on up to bed now. It's been a long day.

  "I'll be up for a little while longer. There are still a few things I have to take care of tonight." Clay declined to detail any more of his plans for he didn't want to involve his father.

  "I'll see you at breakfast then."

  When Philip had gone, Clay sat down at the desk and drew out pen and paper. A little while later he summoned Jacob, one of the servants who had been with the family for years and who he knew to be completely trustworthy.

  "Yes, Mr. Clay?"

  "I have an errand for you to run, Jacob. I need for you to go to New Orleans," Clay told him.

  "Right now? At this time of night?" He was surprised by the unorthodox request.

  "That's right. It's important. Now, listen -" Clay quickly explained exactly what he needed for him to do. He then handed him two envelopes, one with a letter and the other bulging with cash. "Think you can handle this?"

  "Yes, sir. I'll do just like you told me to, Mr. Clay. I'll make sure everything is all ready for you when you get there."

  "Good. I'm counting on you."

  Clay watched as Jacob left the house, then returned to the desk to write the other note he needed. That done, he folded the missive and tucked it safely in his pocket. Clay knew that there was only one more thing he needed. Leaving the study, he unlocked the closet where his father kept his medicinal supplies and took the bottle of laudanum he found there.

  Clay reviewed his plan several times in his mind and could find no fatal flaw as he headed upstairs to his bedroom. He was sure he had covered everything. With any luck at all, by this time tomorrow he would be out of New Orleans and on his way to California. Clay's mood was determined, but excited, and though he was going to try to get some rest, he doubted that he would sleep at all that night. He was too close to his goal. He was too close to success.

  "You look lovely today, Isabel," Clay complimented Reina as he drove their carriage over the back roads to Windown.

  "Thank you," Reina replied, smiling at him as she smoothed the full skirt of her pale blue daygown. She was glad that he'd noticed for today, for the first time in her life, she'd deliberately dressed just to please a man.

  Before Clay, Reina had never cared enough about any man to want to do anything special just for him. Oh, she always wanted to look her best, but she'd dressed to suit herself. However, Clay had changed all that. Reina wanted to please him. She had chosen this particular dress, because, se
date though it was, the style flattered her. The formfitting bodice was demurely cut, yet hinted at her very feminine curves beneath. It enticed while revealing nothing. It was a gown designed with men in mind. She had also worn her hair down for him today, pulling it back from her face with only a simple ribbon and then letting the thick, ebony tresses tumble casually about her shoulders. Her suitors back home had always loved it when she wore her hair unbound, and she hoped Clay would react the same way, too.

  "It's not too much farther," he was saying, "just around the next bend."

  "Oh, good. I haven't been on a picnic in ages. I'm really looking forward to this," she told him.

  "So am I," Clay responded with deep meaning.

  "Do you take time for picnics very often?" Reina asked.

  "Hardly ever. In fact, I really can't tell you the last time I did."

  "Good" she teased, "then today will be special for both of us."

  "It most certainly will," he agreed, turning the carriage onto a narrow, slightly overgrown side road. They drove on only a short distance before he reined in at a small grassy clearing framed by ancient oak trees. "What do you think?"

  "It's perfect," she said, looking around at the lush greenery of the Louisiana countryside. It was far different from her California home, but beautiful in its own right.

  "Let me help you down," Clay offered, taking her hand and assisting her in her descent. "Now, I'll get the basket, and you can carry the blanket."

  He handed her the folded cover and then led the way to the shade of one of the spreading oaks.

  "How's this?" he asked, setting the basket down and taking the blanket from her.

  "Wonderful," Reina replied as she watched him unfold the cover and spread it upon the soft grass. He looked so very, irresistibly male in the dark, slim-fitting pants and a white shirt he wore that her heart thudded wildly in her breast. She realized then that the suspicion she'd had during the long, sleepless hours of the night just past had been true. She had fallen in love with him.

  Reina knew it was illogical. Clay was the man who'd been hired to make sure she showed up for the horrible wedding her father had planned for her. But even as she acknowledged that it was irrational to feel this way, she also knew that he was the man who'd haunted her dreams for weeks now. In the beginning, right after they'd parted company in California, she'd thought she would forget him. It hadn't happened, and having tasted of his passion last night, she knew she never would.

  Though there was a risk involved, Reina planned to pick up where she left off last night, and tell Clay the truth about everything just as soon as she could. She knew it would be difficult, but she didn't care. Today, she intended to clear up the many lies that lay between them. Their relationship could not be based on deception.

  It was a happy determination that filled Reina. She remembered how she'd been so instinctively drawn to Clay the first time they'd met, and now she understood why. Somehow from the very beginning, she'd sensed he was the man for her. All she had to do now, she realized, was convince him of that.

  Clay was feeling confident as he finished arranging the blanket. His plan was going perfectly. It wouldn't be long now! Just a few more minutes and -

  Clay glanced up at Reina just then from where he knelt on the cover, and the sight of her looking so absolutely breathtaking sent a shaft of unwanted desire racing through him. He wanted to pull her down on the blanket with him and make mad, passionate love to her right then and there. He wanted to -

  With rigid control, Clay managed to subdue his wayward passion. He told himself sternly that it didn't matter if Reina looked like an innocent angel today. It was all an elaborate ruse. She was no more a sweet innocent than she'd been a nun on the stage in California!

  Clay girded himself for the upcoming scene with her. He would play his role, but he would not forget why he was here! He would not allow this purely animal attraction he felt for her to detract him from his purpose! He smiled at her and held out his hand, inviting her to join him on the blanket. He was more than pleased when she didn't hesitate to sit beside him.

  "I've been waiting for this moment since last night," she told him, meaning every word of it.

  Reina sounded so believable that Clay wondered how she'd ever become so accomplished at her acting. He realized with some disgust that he might have fallen for her lies had he not known the truth.

  "I've been waiting for this moment, too," he returned, keeping his tone serious. "I think I have been all of my life." Or at least it seemed like a lifetime since he and Dev were together last.

  Reina's breath caught in her throat at his declaration. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Clay did want her! He did care! She had to tell him -

  Reina hesitated. The moment was so perfect that she didn't want to ruin what promised to be a perfect day. The weather was glorious, the delicate scent of flowers perfumed the air, Clay was here. Right now, she needed nothing else. There would be plenty of time later to confess, maybe after they'd eaten.

  "Then the waiting's over now for both of us." Her words were a whisper. Feeling almost magnetically drawn to Clay, she leaned toward him.

  Clay shifted toward her just enough to meet her in a single, gentle kiss. He didn't try to touch her or try to deepen the embrace, yet even so, hot excitement radiated through him. Instead of thrill ing to his own reaction, he was annoyed by it. He pulled back first, schooling his expression into one of tenderness and affection.

  "Hungry?" he asked with a slight smile as he opened the basket.

  "Starving," Reina replied, craving more than just sustenance for the body. She was starving for Clay ...for his touch and his kiss. She felt oddly bereft that he'd drawn away from her so quickly.

  "So am I," he echoed.

  Clay began laying out the feast the cook had prepared for them on the blanket before them-a big, thick chunk of cheese, crusty french bread, golden butter and crisp fried chicken. He set aside the plates and utensils, and then withdrew two crystal glasses and the bottle of wine he'd chosen personally for the occasion.

  "Would you like some wine?" he offered, praying desperately that she wouldn't refuse.

  "Yes, please," she quickly agreed.

  At her acceptance, he casually uncorked the bottle and poured her a glass, though there was nothing casual about his intent. He handed her a glass, then poured one for himself.

  "A toast.. .to us." Clay lifted his glass to her.

  "To us," Reina repeated, her heart swelling with joy

  "May we always remember the first time we met." Clay finished, knowing full well that he would never, ever forget Sister Mary Regina. None of his bitterness of the memory showed in his eyes, though. He was acting like a man deliriously in love.

  Reina found the last of his toast a bit odd since she believed they'd only met the night before. She rationalized, though, that maybe Clay thought last night had been extra special since he'd won her away from all the other men who'd been pursuing her.

  "And may we always remember today," she breathed taking a sip of the fine vintage.

  You'll remember today, all right, Clay thought with vicious sarcasm. He gave the appearance of taking a small drink of the wine before setting his glass aside. It pleased him that she was drinking deeply of the wine.

  "More?" He invited, picking up the wine bottle.

  "Yes, it's delicious." She enjoyed wine and thought this one quite good.

  When Reina held her near-empty glass out to him, he added to it. Their hands accidentally touched, and all concept of time evaporated as their eyes met. The moment seemed to last an eternity.

  Clay could not believe the feverish need that threatened to overpower him. He tried to deny it, but his body rebelled against his mind's dictates. He told himself angrily that it was only physical desire he felt for her. He told himself that despite the romantic setting he still had a firm grip on things. He was a man who prided himself on being in control, and he would not allow Reina to break that mastery.


  Desire pulsed through Reina, too. She took another deep drink from her glass, but her eyes never left his.

  "The wine really is wonderful, Clay."

  "I'm glad you like it. I took particular care selecting it. I wanted something just for today.. .something memorable."

  "This whole day is special."

  "I'm glad you think so. It is for me, too," Clay said with a smile as, again, he added more of his select vintage to her glass. "I want everything to go perfectly."

  "Well, it's been perfect so far, and I can't imagine anything that could possibly ruin the rest of the day for us."

  "I think we'll both remember today for a long time to come. I know I will." Clay's baser instincts urged him relentlessly to take her in his arms and kiss her again, but he fought against it and busied himself fixing them plates of food. He handed Reina her plate, piled high with a sampling of every good thing. They ate slowly, enjoying the simple yet delicious fare. Reina finished her wine and willingly accepted Clay's offer of another refill. She noticed that he had not drunk any more of his own.

  "You aren't drinking much wine," she remarked, feeling delightfully relaxed. "You do like it, don't you? You didn't just bring it along for me, did you?"

  "I have to admit that I did choose that particular bottle for you. I wanted you to have the very best this afternoon. And, as far as me not drinking much, I don't need any help feeling good right now, I feel heady enough just being with you."

  Reina gazed up at him rapturously, thinking him the most handsome, most thoughtful, most exciting man she'd ever met. The guilt she'd been experiencing over keeping her secret from him faded as she was filled with a pleasantly drowsy sensation. All that mattered was that she was there with Clay, alone in the countryside.

  The memory of the ardent kisses they'd shared the night before came to her, and she was feeling so wonderful and so perfect that she found it easy to ignore the last clinging fragments of her inhibitions. She was with the man she loved.

  "Clay-" Reina's voice sounded strangely distant to her, and had she not been feeling so delightfully happy, she would have worried. Right then, though, it didn't seem very important. She was afire with the need to be held by him. She desperately wanted him to kiss her. "Kiss me."