Deed to Damnation

Wedded Bliss?

Henry's unexpected promise and her episode of losing her mind brought about an awkwardly quiet morning. She woke to see him gazing at her in a groggy half sleep. He had ravaged her three times the prior evening after throwing Jordan out of the room, exhausting her beyond anything he had done before. His appetites had went from rough and commanding to gentle but voracious when he tasted her for long intervals between immersing himself in her sex the moment he was ready. It was as if he couldn't get enough. He acted as if he had never had her before, exploring her with scorching licks and exquisite bites to her tenderest of skin until she was shuddering in his hands and begging for release. And by the time he left her a melting, quivering mess, she knew there would never be another man that could ever pleasure her the way he could. She had become addicted.
Henry looked at her with the morning sun rays peering in through the gauzy red curtains. The early light touched her softly. The normal peachy complexion of her face was rosier, the aftermath of torrid lovemaking.
He laughed to himself. Lovemaking. It was a word Ireland had used with him last night and never in a thousand years would he have ever thought a woman would relate that word with him.
When her eyes fluttered open, she sighed deeply and lazily stroked the overgrown scruff on his face. A small smile appeared and it soothed him a bit. The things he had said, no, promised her last night had been things he had fought to never say to her. Ever. It was a stone cold fact he was not a good man. He was the kind of man he would shoot if one ever came sniffing around his daughter if he had one. Yes, he may be a killer and he would be lying if he said he hadn't defiled some women in moments when he was power drunk. But he never lied, not to himself and not to anyone whoever ran across him. And he wasn't about to start now. Everyone knew exactly who they were dealing with. He also knew being his only woman was not going to be an easy road for Ireland. With his truths came a darkness she would have to navigate carefully although he vowed to himself he would try to control his inner demons from taking over. It was going to be an uphill battle for both.
He rolled on top of her and took her mouth hungrily, the primal scent of her musk, scant in his peppered beard. She let out a lilting giggle.
"I'm so tired." She murmured, with a knowing little smile. "Where do you get your appetite?"
He huffed and tangled his fingers in her mass of copper hair, holding her face so he could gaze at her and the satiated look in her light green eyes.
"It's you." He said. "And I'm starving right now."
As he nudged her legs apart and settled between her thighs, she wrapped them around his taut waist and sighed when he pushed himself inside of her. It was achingly slow and she gasped as she realized she was sore but Henry knew by the small sound to be gentle. It was something he would never have considered before. It was only a few moments before her body relented and eased the discomfort. And when she cried out at the deliberate, slow grind of his hips, he followed with a low, guttural groan against the nape of her neck
If only they could lie here all day, Ireland thought, as he kissed her deeply. But that was not to be.
A light tap on the door alerted them that their breakfast was outside. It was a demand Henry had put on Joss for when he was in town and it was supposed to be for Ireland even in his absence. But Ireland had waived that particular order as she didn't really have to rise until noon. And even then she insisted on eating her first meal with the girls in the tearoom. She didn't particularly enjoy eating alone and she found getting served every meal on a silver platter pretentious. But she was happy to share breakfast alone with him today.
"I'm heading back this afternoon." He told her. "Most of the hired hands have gone back already. The weather is unpredictable and today looks clear. I'd like to finish up the ranch by the first of March."
She almost asked about Marley but held her tongue. What happened to him had been so wrong but bringing up the man Henry had been so envious of for no reason was probably not the smartest of moves. But she did make sure he saw her disappointed pout. He scowled at it.
"You can always come with me." He invited. "Although I think you've found your niche here for now and I'd prefer that the working men were gone."
"When will you be back?" She questioned.
She was picking at her scrambled eggs that were growing cold and wore an expression of disappointment and concern.
"Do you have enough supplies? What about the situation with the gold and the military? What about..."
He cut her off.
"A little shrew already?" He teased.
He knew she was worried about him and that would take some getting used to. No woman had ever fretted about his existence before. Mostly, they wished him dead. The thought made him laugh to himself.
"I have plenty." He reassured her. "And both tribes are thoroughly fortified when it goes down. I caught word that it's inevitable but not until the weather breaks. It's too risky in the winter."
Ireland knew that warmer temperatures never arrived on the plains until late May. But without having a specific time, or even a specific month, made her uneasy.
"And as far as the gold?" He grinned broadly. "Well, that has been especially lucrative."
He reached into the pocket of his duster that hung from the back of his chair and came out with a closed fist.
"Open your hand, Ire." He said.
Ireland offered her palms and he proceeded to fill them with small, gleaming nuggets. She gasped at the sight of them.
"There's more where that came from." He told her, watching her astounded expression. "That's for you. It's more than enough to buy whatever you wish for the saloon and the parlor as well as the rooms upstairs."
He watched her face change from wonderment to exhilaration in a flash.
"For me? Do you really mean it? I thought you said to not drop one more coin on this place?" She questioned suspiciously.
He nodded.
"Well, you handled yourself very well under the circumstances I served you." He admitted. "And the improvements you've made haven't gone unnoticed. Marissa looks well and the bedchambers look tidy. If you want, you can buy each of the girls new gowns. I'm sure the latest catalogs will be at the mercantile. I know how much you women like things of that sort."
She smiled. She knew Henry liked the women in expensive, imported gowns or at least ones from New York or San Francisco. The girls would be thrilled and maybe with this money she could match the parlor with the luxury they wore.
"Also, I would like you to buy something lacy and soft for the days I return." He said. "Actually, that's an order, wife."
She blushed. If that's what it took to keep him faithful, it was her pleasure.
"A few more things." He stated. "The money the girls made last night doesn't have to be divided up. They can keep it all."
Ireland was astonished.
"They're going to be so happy!" She exclaimed.
"I'm not done." He said sternly. "You are not to dismiss Jordan."
Her look of elation disappeared immediately. After everything that bitch had done?
"But Henry..."
"Not another word." He barked. "I'm about to send Scott Lakefield a letter about his wayward daughter informing him that she is safe. I also bumped the reward if I return her unscathed."
Ireland snarled her lip in disgust.
"Then I guess at least until the welts subside." She sneered.
"Long after." He retorted. "You let her be. That still stands."
Ireland would never understand his need for amassing wealth when he already had so much. She didn't know the full value of his riches but rumor had it he was loaded. And yet he continued pursuing it tirelessly.
"And who will stay behind and help me if customers get out of hand?" She inquired cautiously.
It was the closest thing to Marley's mention as she would dare. But it was legitimate. Anything could happen at any given moment in a business like this.
"Brendan." He answered from the washroom. "I handed him over to Daniel when he came back to the ranch with his tail between his legs. He chose the whipping over leaving my employ. He got a few gold pieces for it and I think both the whipping and the payment were substantial enough for him to get a grasp on the job I sent him to do."
She cringed. It was her fault he got shredded by Daniel's bullwhip. Thinking back, he should have gotten a reward for offering a drink to the man who broke Jordan's arm. Hindsight is twenty twenty, she thought bitterly. It seemed the girl was going to be a thorn in her side for a while longer.
Henry came out of the washroom, drying his face. He had trimmed down his almost full beard, leaving some thick salt and pepper scruff on his strong jaw. He had neatened the coarse mustache as well. It outlined his full lips and accentuated the deep tracks of his dimples.
"That's quite a look of distress." He told her. "Big Eddy also volunteered so he'll stay on as well."
Big Eddy. He had been her very first babysitter when Henry went traveling. Funny how he didn't find either one of those men to be a threat to her fidelity, she thought. It occurred to her that perhaps Henry didn't see them as equal, unlike Marley who had been with him through all of what he had been through. Why wouldn't she try a man like Marley? They were almost the same in his mind except Marley had a sweet side that he wasn't afraid to show. She was sure that's what Henry thought.
"Now." He said, stalking towards her. "I'd like to ravage my wife again before I leave. I want the sweet taste of you on my beard the entire way back to those hills."
She blushed profusely at his bluntness but stood and gently shimmied from her pale green robe, the silky garment pooling at her feet. He gave her a gentle but abrupt shove and she fell backwards on the bed with him following her.
When will he be back, she wondered. But soon that question was swept away by a trail of steaming kisses and tiny sucks that he traced down her belly and beyond. All there was, was here and now.