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  I inwardly groaned, for perhaps having my new wife and past conquest meet each other was not wise. Piper's anger toward me wasn't going to be soothed by this encounter. Hell, I doubted I'd be able to bed her before spring thaw at this pace.

  I tipped my hat to her. "Ma'am. May I present to you my wife, Mrs. Wiley Easton?"

  "How do you do?" Ethel replied to Piper, and then turned to me. "I thought you did not wish to wed. If I'd known you could be swayed, I would have applied more of my charm."

  Beside me, Piper lifted her chin as she took obvious note of the barb.

  Ethel's charms were abundant and very skilled. While I had enjoyed bed sport with her on more than one occasion, it had been fairly clinical; I'd needed the release found in a woman's body, but had not sought any kind of connection. My cock didn't even stir as I looked at her now. She was lovely and I knew what her skin felt like beneath my fingers, but the only body I wanted to get my hands on was Piper's, but she did not know that, and the chances of her allowing it were very low.

  "It seems I found a way to ensnare her unlike any other," I replied. It was the truth and let Ethel believe I was infatuated with my new bride. As for Piper, I had no doubt she would unman me before the day was out for the comment, hopefully once we were alone at the hotel. "If you will excuse us, I promised my wife some peppermint from the mercantile."

  As we headed toward the shop, I considered Ethel's value to me. As a woman, she had none. As a whore who might know the whereabouts of Miss Carter, well, a visit to her could be very worthwhile. She could be an excellent source for information, and I would visit her later. No doubt she'd assume I'd come to visit her at the brothel for some bed sport, regardless of my new married state. She was that confident in her charms. I would use that to my advantage and seek the answers I needed while keeping my hands to myself. Now if only I could make my own wife as eager for my attentions.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  PIPER

  Using my brother's words, Wiley Easton was an insufferable ass. He not only forced my hand into marriage, but in the first town we came to we meet one of his strumpets. She might not look one to the average person, but a woman had an eye for these things. Miss Ethel Murbridge was a little too perfect, a little too relaxed and coy with Mr. Easton. My husband. How dare she flaunt herself and her charms to a married man? Of course, when he'd had his hands all over her charms he hadn't been married, but still. Ugh!

  Not much was said over dinner, for I was so mad I assumed smoke was coming from my ears. He'd looked at me once and I'd glared back and from then on he'd kept his head down as he ate his steak and huckleberry cobbler. It was a smart move on his part for I had no interest in seeing his face.

  His handsome, rugged face.

  I inwardly screamed again. How could I find him so attractive? How could I remember how it felt like to be held in his arms? His scent? His kisses? I hated him. I hated him. I hated him.

  When he saw me settled in the small hotel room and turned for the door, I hated him even more.

  "Where are you going?" I asked. The sun was just about to set and I assumed after our long day we would be turning in. Did he intend to take his husbandly rights and take me? So far he'd been honorable, but did a woman want honor when she was curious about a man's touch and could legally do something about it? Even angry and frustrated with him, I wanted him to touch me, for no other man was going to do so.

  "Out," he replied.

  "Out? Where?"

  He scratched the back of his head.

  "Mr. Easton," I said, my tone a little tart.

  "Don't you think you can call me Wiley? We're married now."

  "Exactly. We're married, which means I should be given the courtesy of a more thorough answer to my question."

  He looked down at the floor, and then turned to look at me. "I'm going to go make inquiries about Miss Carter. Where I'm going is no place for a lady. Don't wait up."

  My mouth opened to speak but he shut the door behind him. He walked out on me! I'd been stunned to hear that his father had been a victim of the crimes my family had committed, it gave insight into what drove him so intensely. They'd been brought to justice and by now had paid the ultimate price for their crimes. He'd wanted justice served and it had, at least in part. Miss Carter was still at large, still not brought to account for her actions. While I could understand his need to find her, he'd left me! One night would not make any difference in tracking down the woman.

  I sat down on the edge of the bed in a huff. I didn't want to be a shrew, but really, it was our wedding night! I thought about Banning. Where would he go that was no place for a lady? I was going to find out. Rising, I went to the door and peeked out. I quickly shut the door behind me and went downstairs, careful to ensure I didn't run into Wiley. Seeing him through the plate glass window of the hotel, I followed him, although I kept a substantial distance between us. The main thoroughfare was several blocks long but it was impossible to lose him.

  After two blocks, he crossed the street and entered a building. The sun had set low enough now where it was hard to tell from this distance. I approached and the sign above the door read Belle's. Surprise and hurt combined in my chest. Wiley left me to go to a brothel! He'd barely even kissed me and went to find another woman to be with. Did he find my kisses that repulsive?

  This thought fueled my motivation, but knowing I couldn't walk through the door, for I would surely be removed, I passed the building and took the dark alley around to the back. There I found the back entrance, which appeared to be off the kitchen. Going to the door, I opened it and stuck my head in. Several women dressed in just corsets and petticoats or gauzy robes sat at a round table eating.

  Before I could duck out, one of the women called to me. "Looking for a job? It's all right, we sure don't bite!"

  "Only if you want us to." Another woman giggled.

  I'd heard my brothers speak of such places, even of the women within, but I'd never been to one in person. I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me, all four of the ladies looking me over. I tried not to shift or squirm under their very thorough inspection. The room was warm from the stove and had a distinct smell of onions and cloying perfume. "Actually, no." I cleared my throat. "I'm looking for...for my husband."

  All of them laughed. "Honey, you tracked your man here?" The one with the long blonde ringlets asked.

  I nodded.

  "He left you at home?" She eyed me carefully. "Is there something wrong with you? You know how to please him, don't you?"

  "Yes, ma'am, you please him well enough and he won't come a wandering." This was said by a raven-haired woman with the largest bosom I'd ever seen. If Wiley wanted breasts of her size, I couldn't compete no matter how skilled at bed sport I became.

  "Well, I...I mean..." Heat flooded my cheeks.

  "Are you this unsure in bed?"

  For some reason, that question altered my mood. I went from unsure of myself and disappointed to downright mad. "It's our wedding night and he's visiting a woman named Ethel. Is she here, for I'd like to pay them both a little visit."

  All four women froze in place. "Your...I mean...." It was the blonde's turn to sputter. Then she grinned. "Take these back stairs here and take the, let's see, the third door on the right."

  "Thank you," I replied with a small smile.

  "You a virgin, honey?" the black haired woman asked.

  I glanced up the back staircase and back at the woman, offering her a small nod.

  "You want this man in your bed?" she asked.

  Did I? Wiley's strong jaw and big hands came to mind, the feel of his hard thighs beneath my bottom, his kisses. I nodded again.

  She crooked her finger at me. "Let Delilah tell you how to keep your man in your bed."

  I glanced at the others and with their smiles and words of agreement, I tentatively approached Delilah and she told me some things, some things that had my eyebrows rising in surprise and my nipples tightening beneath my dress.

>   A few minutes later I was much more educated. Before I went upstairs, I remembered the reason for Wiley's departure.

  "Ladies, do you by any chance know a woman by the name of Sheila Carter?"

  Another two minutes later and I was sent upstairs, the ladies urging me on. As I reached the long hallway, I took a deep breath. Third door on the right. One, two, then I leaned in and listened. Nothing. What if I had the wrong room? What if some naked man opened the door? What if the naked man was Wiley?

  That thought had me knocking. A moment later, there stood Wiley. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open at the sight of me. This lasted for about a second before he stuck his head out into the hallway, looked left and right, then tugged me into the room, slamming the door behind him.

  I could see nothing of the large room around his bulk. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled. His gaze raked over my body. "Did anyone touch you? You weren't pawed or bothered, were you?"

  "You're worried I've been touched by another man when you're here in the arms of another woman?" I asked.

  The man had gall.

  I heard a feminine chuckle behind me and when I stuck my head around Wiley's large body to see who it was, I saw red.

  "You!"

  It was Ethel Murbutter or whatever her name was. She was dressed in decidedly less clothes than on the street, but all the important parts were well covered. Compared to the women in the kitchen, she was reasonably modest in her attire.

  "Honey, if you can't keep a man happy, he's going to look elsewhere," she said, her soft voice grating.

  She was baiting me. I was well familiar with the concept, as I'd grown up with two brothers. I would not rise to her words, for I wanted to save all my anger for Wiley. As I spoke, I poked him in the chest.

  "Out? This is your idea of out?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from sounding shrill.

  He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest. His hard, warm chest.

  "I told you I had to ask questions about Miss Carter. Miss Murbridge was a contact I knew here in town who traveled in the same circles."

  "You mean she's a whore," I countered.

  I heard an indelicate sound from behind me. Her feelings were not my concern.

  "Yes," Wiley replied evenly.

  "Did you find out anything of interest from her other than what her nipples look like?"

  Wiley's head tilted back as if I slapped him. "Piper, I haven't—"

  "Haven't had the opportunity to get her naked? I know you want to avenge your father's death, but this is not the way. You say you haven't had the chance to glean any information on Miss Carter? Well, I have. We don't need her." I angled my head in Ethel's direction, but didn't break my gaze from Wiley.

  "Oh?" he asked. His voice was calm and smooth. Everything about him was that way. Why didn't I get his dander up? Why didn't he argue? "Why don't we need her?"

  "Because I have everything you need," I countered.

  His dark eyebrow went up. We weren't talking about Miss Carter any longer. "Is that so?"

  Perhaps it was the anger that made me bold. Perhaps it was the women downstairs who'd inspired me to ensure Ethel didn't get her little fingers on what was mine. I may not have wanted to marry Wiley, but he was mine. If I had to stake my claim, then I would. I wasn't going to get any other man and if I had my way, he wasn't going to have any other woman.

  Thinking of my little lesson, I stepped closer, close enough where I could smell Wiley's clean scent, see the dark whiskers along his jaw, and put my hand directly over the front placket of his pants. I'd felt his hard male member when he'd held me in his lap earlier, but now, beneath my palm, it was so much bigger than I remembered. That was supposed to fit inside of me?

  The ladies downstairs had called it a cock and said I should stroke it, so I did.

  "Piper," he groaned. Wiley's eyes widened in total surprise, then narrowed. His lips parted and a hiss escaped. Using my other hand, I cupped him from below, in the area I'd been told I'd find his…balls. I wasn't sure what the woman had meant, but they'd said to grope beneath his hard...cock—that's what they'd called it—and I'd find these two soft, firm orbs. With my right hand stroking up and down the length and my left hand beneath, I leaned in and whispered. "Do you find me so lacking you need to seek out a whore?"

  I felt the broad head of his cock and stroked it as I was instructed, knowing I was doing it correctly when Wiley's eyes slipped shut. After one none-so-gentle stroke, his eyes opened and he stepped back. Reaching around blindly, he gripped the doorknob and yanked the door open.

  "Out," he said. For a brief moment I thought he was speaking to me and I felt devastatingly hurt, but he was looking over my shoulder. "Ethel, I've paid you for an hour so go find something else to do."

  I didn't look anywhere but at Wiley, but I heard the woman's dissatisfaction and she all but flounced out of the room. Wiley kicked the door shut behind her. His eyes had that predatory gleam to them and I stepped back. He closed the distance and I stepped back again.

  "Wiley, I..."

  "You don't think I want you?"

  I licked my lips and his eyes dropped to my mouth.

  "You...you did leave me standing in our hotel room on our wedding night. You did go to a brothel and seek out a woman you've had...relations with."

  "I was working."

  "What was I to think? You left me for...for her." I pointed at the closed door. "I mean, there's no comparison."

  He slowly shook his head as he took another step closer. "No, there's no comparison."

  I hit the bed with the back of my legs and sat down abruptly. All the confidence the ladies downstairs had given me seeped away. I looked down at my hands in my lap and I let my shoulders slump. "Yes, I see. I can't blame you, for you didn't want to marry any more than I. If you're going to seek out other women, then at least don't flaunt it."

  "You think I don't take our vows seriously?" I kept my eyes downcast and didn't answer and only met his gaze when he tilted my chin up with his finger. His eyes were dark, clear and very, very intense. "I assure you, I take the convention of marriage very seriously."

  WILEY

  My hands went to the buttons of my shirt, undoing one and then the next.

  "What...what are you doing?" she asked, surprised as more of my body was uncovered.

  "Taking off my clothes."

  She'd been a bold vixen just a few moments ago and now she was the shy virgin. I'd been stunned when she'd grabbed my cock, even more so when she'd cupped my balls with her other hand.

  "Yes, I can see that, but why?" She didn't look away but kept her curious eyes on me. This was a good sign.

  "You played with my cock, sweetheart. Just like an expert. I assume you aren't one and in fact, a very innocent virgin. Who told you how to do that?"

  She swallowed and that had me thinking about what she could do with that mouth. "The ladies downstairs."

  I clenched my jaw at what she'd done. "The ladies downstairs?" I repeated. "Sweetheart, we're going to talk about how a lady isn't supposed to wander a strange town alone at night, let alone enter a brothel. But not now." I stripped the shirt off my arms and dropped it to the floor. I sat down beside her. "Come here, Piper." My voice was level and even.

  I would fuck her now as she'd all but taunted me into it. She'd been standing there when I opened the door, all bravado and sass. She'd come to stake her claim and if that hadn't made me rock hard, I didn't know what could. Besides it being ridiculously dangerous, it was hot as hell. Then she'd stood up to Ethel and had the audacity to grab my cock. Not just grab it, but fondle it in the most expert of ways. Then she'd had the ridiculous notion that I didn't want her, that I wanted Ethel instead.

  I hadn't told her I wanted her; we'd only kissed and that had been brief. What we had between us was simmering, simmering as anger, but there was definitely lust there as well. We might be angry about the basis for our marriage, but there was no mistaking any longer the need in both of us.
She'd started it when she followed me out of the hotel room, but I would take over and finish this. She might have a bold streak in her, but it was gone now. She needed me to take the lead, to be in control.

  Taking off my shirt was just the start. I knew what I wanted to do, but not what I should do. We really were complete strangers and she was a virgin. While she'd been extremely forward and bold only a few moments earlier, it wasn't really Piper. She may have been given some tips from some ladies downstairs, she couldn't have learned everything. No, teaching her everything was my job.

  I couldn't just toss her on the bed, rip the dress from her body and take her, at least not the first time. She needed wooing and a gentle touch, but 'gentle' was not a word ever used in association with me. My life was rough, my body was hard and big, my touch most likely aggressive. It would be difficult to control, for I wanted her readily enough, especially the way she was ogling my chest. My body, my cock, was primed and ready to sink into her. She would be tight and hot, and I would ensure that she was wet and eager for me.

  She stood before me at a pace so obscenely slow it took all my willpower not to reach out and grab her. "We're practically strangers," she said.

  "That is about to change." Finally, I put my hands on her hips, her body warm and lush beneath my palms, pulling her into the space between my wide set knees. Her covered breasts were in direct alignment with my eyes and I stifled a groan at how, if I just lifted a hand, I could cup one soft globe and test it's weight.

  "Here? In a brothel?" she asked, looking around. It was a whore's bedroom, not the perfect place for our wedding night, but I was not waiting another minute to get my hands on her.

  "Definitely here. When I make you scream your pleasure, no one will care."

  "Wiley," she replied, her cheeks flushing prettily. Oh, she was definitely a virgin.

  The sound of my name in her soft voice was very appealing. I took her small hands in mine and brought them to my chest. "Don't lose all that boldness now, sweetheart. Touch me."