High Stakes Chattel (8 page)

“That…or, could it be the fact that you tie damsels in distress up to windowsills
?”

“You little minx,” he said grabbing her hand and pulling her close to him
, intending to kiss those voluptuous lips. Samantha looked up at him, with confusion in her eyes and quickly turned away to start cleaning up. He realized his mistake despite the mixed emotions within him. He had just told her he was courting another woman but all he wanted to do was ravish her on the soft ground and feel her body beneath his own.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, putting the remains of the lunch into the basket.
“While I finish putting this away, do you want to see if you can find some comfrey? There’s usually a patch of it over there by that oak.”

Happy to put some distance between them, she got up and walked over to the large, beautiful oak tree.

“Is this what you wanted?” she asked a few minutes later, holding out a handful of green.

“No, that’s meadowsweet,” he told her, fastening the basket to his saddle. “
Let me show you.”

They passed another very pleasant half hour as he showed her the local herbs and explained their medical usage. She was a very quick pupil and listened attentively, obviously interested.

“Is this why you looked like you had been rolling in the garden last night?”

“Yes. I often collect wild herbs, although many of them Mrs. Lotte grows for me in the garden near the house.”

Samantha explained her mother’s symptoms and asked if there were any herbs he knew of that might help.

“I’ll look into it and fix you something to take home
for her,” Nico said as he placed the herbs in a bag.

It was nearly dusk by the time they
rode back to the house, and he could not remember when he’d passed a more enjoyable afternoon. Once they’d settled the horses in the barn, Samantha turned to him a bit hesitantly. “Are we going to play Chattel tonight? I feel I’m learning quite a bit from my lessons.”

“Really?” he asked
in surprise, raising a brow. “I haven’t frightened you away yet?”

She blushed, obviously realizing he was not talking about the game.
“No. You don’t frighten me, Lord Chattel,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly. “You can blindfold me and tie me up all you want but it isn’t going to deter me from eventually beating you at your own game.”

The image she painted of herself tied up
managed to give him an instant erection. She had no idea what she was tempting him with.

“
Fine. I would love to play with you then, Samantha,” he said, using her given name and enjoying the sound of it. “I have a few things I have to take care of in the lab, but if you like, we can meet in my study in about three hours. Will that do?”

“That sounds perfect.” She
smiled, obviously feeling victorious, and started toward the house once more.

“Samantha,” he called, catching her hand and pulling her back to face him. “The price for losing tonight will be very high. I want to see you naked.”

Samantha let herself into her room and then collapsed upon the huge bed, staring up at the ceiling, Lord Chattel’s words ringing in her head.
I want to see you naked.

She shivered and hugged her arms across her chest, wondering if
he really meant what he said or if he was just playing games with her.

What was she doing?

The passion she felt every time she looked at him was something entirely new to her, but something she desperately wanted to explore. She wanted to be naked with him. Perhaps it was wrong of her, but really, who would be hurt if she gave into it? She was a widow, after all, soon to cut her hair and pretend to be a man in a dangerous game. Her reputation may be tattered in a month’s time anyway if she was discovered to be a woman.

Remembering Lady Morgan, she wondered how this
evening would affect his courtship. He certainly wouldn’t completely change his life after one sight of her naked body. If she thought that, then she would be a fool. It probably wouldn’t change their future at all. She would go on to the tournament and he would go on to wed Lady Morgan and do his medical research. Perhaps they would never see one another again. They certainly didn’t belong in the same social circle.

Pushing to her feet, she crossed to the window and t
oyed with the lush velvet curtains, looking out at the park below. She wished she could stop time and stay in this place forever. The fading sunlight bathed the gardens and marble statues in a warm, golden glow. Everywhere she looked she saw beauty, down to the last detail, from the neatness of the rows of trees to the sparkling water in the ponds. There were wild deer foraging in the farthest part of the park. She enjoyed looking at the scene and imagined sitting here to paint it.

Paint it? What was she thinking? She would never be here that long.
She frowned as her mind turned back to Lord Chattel’s announcement that he was courting another woman. What was she like? Probably perfect in every way, saying and doing all the appropriate things, unlike her.

Samantha felt the old competitive spirit rise in her again. Since she was a young girl she had always enjoyed taking on a challenge, especially with the boys, whether it was a running race or a game of cricket. It was hard for her not to compete.
And the boys seemed to like her more for it. By the time she reached maturity, she found she never really had to compete for a man’s attention. They usually swarmed around her. Those village boys, and even Henry, were quite different from Lord Chattel. She was sure that competing with Lady Morgan would be competing on a whole new level — and she may not have all the right tools at her disposal.

Crossing the room
, she picked up her father’s pipe and smelled the sweet, earthy aroma. She had brought it with her to remind herself of him and of home. She needed to regain her focus on her purpose here: winning the tournament and saving her farm. Regardless of her attraction to Lord Chattel, she still needed his help to win the tournament. She resolved to stop thinking of him as a man and start thinking of him as only a teacher. She needed to quit dreaming about replacing Lady Morgan and start concentrating on preparing for the challenge of her life.

A few hours later,
a determined Samantha made her way downstairs to the study, with only a few butterflies in her stomach. Perhaps Lord Chattel would have forgotten about his earlier statement. Not likely. The door was shut, so she took a few moments to gather her courage before knocking.

“Come in,” he called from within.

She opened the door and his gaze took in every inch of her as she entered the room. She was dressed in a simple green gown with a modestly low bodice. She simply couldn’t dress in mourning for this occasion. She did her best to project a look of determination that said she was ready for battle.

“I see you’re anxious to take off your clothes for me
,” Nico baited her.

“No, it’s not that
, you devilish man.” Samantha’s eyes flashed as she spoke. “I want to win the tournament. I need to win. I've come too far to back out now and I'm not afraid of you.” Saying that almost helped her feel it. She stalked over to the table Nico had waiting for them.

“All right,” he agreed,
seeming impressed with her fortitude. “But you do realize that leaves a 99 percent chance that I’ll have you naked before the night is through.”

“So you admit I have a chance?” she asked,
laughing.

He shook his head and grin
ned at her as he took his seat. “I give you a one percent chance, and you’re happy about it? I love your optimism.”

The game started quickly with some bold moves from Nico.
Unfortunately, she was so distracted by thoughts of what was to come she found it difficult to concentrate. Every time she looked up into his handsome face she found him staring at her. She wondered how much exposure she was giving him in this dress as she bent down to make her move.

“You look lovely in green. It matches your eyes,” Nico said just as Samantha was trying to choose which path to put her hunter on.
All of this romantic tension was making it hard for her to focus. As soon as she made her choice, she wished she could take it back. Nico swiftly cut off her hunter, sending her back to the beginning and leaving himself in an easy position to kill the dragon.

As he made his final move
, he sat back in his chair and stretched out his long legs, looking cocky and confident. He had beat her in almost half the time it had taken in the previous two games.

“One would almost think you wanted to be naked for me, Samantha,” he said chidingly as he got up and very deliberately locked the door. She watched him nervously, swallowing hard when he returned to his ch
air.

“Please remove your dress,” he said languidly, as though he were calm, even though she could see a challenge in his eyes.

Defiantly, she pushed to her feet and stood before him. At least the room was semi-dark, the only light coming from the fireplace and the candles he’d placed on the Chattel table. Should she really do it? What did she have to lose?

She lifted her trembling hands to the back of her neck, awkwardly undoing her dress. Thank goodness she was used to undressing without assistance, or she never would have managed it.

She let the soft green fabric pool to the floor at her feet, standing before him in only her corset, drawers, and stockings. He took a deep breath, seeming shocked that she had actually obeyed him. He had been playing a game of chicken with her, never expecting to receive his “reward”. 

“Very nice,” he said softly. “
You have an exquisite figure.”

Samantha was struggling to stand before him without covering herself up.

“You may leave on the stockings, but take off the rest,” Nico commanded.

Blushing furiously, she slowly began to unfasten her corset. He leaned forward, all
pretenses at disinterest gone as she revealed her full round breasts and erect pink nipples. Head held high, she let the corset fall on top of her dress, and then stepped out of her drawers. She was naked but for her silk stockings, revealing long legs, shapely hips and a patch of auburn hair covering up her cleft.

She had never felt so vulnerable, but his reaction gave her a bit of strength.
His black eyes were glittering with desire.

“Come here,” he told her, patting his knee.

She stared at him nervously.
He remained fully dressed while she stood before him in only stockings. “Really? Isn’t this enough?”

“Stop talking, and come sit down,” he said, a note of
authority in his voice.

She inched toward him. “I'm not a child, you know.”

“Any more words like that and you'll find yourself getting a spanking.” He looked as if he meant it.

She closed the remaining distance between them and awkwardly sat upon his lap.
Her eyes widened as the solid heat of his erection pressed against her, and he put her hands behind her back, exposing more of her breasts to him.

“Do you think you’ve been good today?” he asked, sounding
again like a grim schoolteacher.

She g
ave him an exasperated look and rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I think I've been very good. I nearly beat you.”

“You came nowhere close to it,” he chided her. “In fact, you didn’t seem to be paying attention at all.
” He gazed down at her nakedness. “Though I'm very glad you didn't.”

“Perhaps I was a
bit…distracted,” she conceded, wondering where he was going with this game.

He
slowly ran his fingertips across her face, as though memorizing every feature, spending extra time on her lips. She kissed his finger softly and trapped it between her lips, making him catch his breath.

His hands trailed lower, down the column of her throat, then cupping her breasts, caressing her nipples until
they became tight pink buds. Bending down, he replaced his fingertips with his mouth, lightly kissing and then sucking each nipple in turn until she forgot herself and buried her hands in his hair.