Passion's Furies, page 15
“Ibn and Esa Obu are in charge of the land there,” Jason explained, adding more of the hot rum-laced tea to his cup. “Their families inhabited that part of the island long before Roland McIver ever knew it existed. Mister Roland paid the families there to help cultivate the land. They were employees, not slaves, and you can imagine the talk he endured over that!” Jason laughed. “But that was Mister Roland. Some say he had a soft spot for Esa’s great aunt Sonje who, at the time, was quite young and very regal—hence the name. It was rumored that an affair began and that Regal was Roland and Sonje’s special place.”
“In actuality, Regal and everything on it belongs to its original inhabitants,” Jacinta interjected. “Roland only kept it in his legal possession to ensure its protection from those who might seek to ‘obtain’ it after his death.”
Solomon grunted. “Smart man.”
“A good man,” Jason added.
“Tell me how the families came to be there—undiscovered. Surely the island isn’t their native home.”
“The Saids and Obus,” Jason sighed in reference to Solomon’s query. “Those families were only two out of tens of thousands of families who were forced into the horrific passage from their native lands. Such tragedies, the unspeakable events that occurred on those devil ships,” he spoke with passionate distaste, his kind face hardening as he continued. “The Saids and Obus traveled with crews of men who thought nothing and cared nothing about them. Men who likened them to cattle—less than cattle. They hoarded as many bodies as possible on those ships, and then packed in even more. Once they realized their error, the boat was in the middle of the sea. That mattered little and to ‘make room’ they simply cast bodies overboard—tens, hundreds tossed without a care into the raging seas.”
“Jesus,” Solomon whispered, leaning back in his chair to stroke the silky whiskers shadowing his jaw. His taste for the delicious snack had vanished.
“This is what happened to the Obus and Saids, but they were cast overboard by an even greater force—a far greater man—and they were thankful for it.”
Solomon’s long brows drew close as he sat entranced by the story. Jacinta listened as well. Even though she’d heard the story more than a few times, the tale never lost its luster.
“A fierce storm threatened to rip their ship to shreds. The lower quarters of the slave ship were ravaged, many died. But many survived. On planks of wood that were ripped from the ship, many held onto their lives until the Maker brought them to land.” Jason stood from the table and strolled across the deck. “There’s over four hundred thousand acres of land here, Mister Dikembe,” he boasted, waving one hand toward the dark water. “Hundreds, thousands of islands that have never been charted, let alone claimed by any white man.” Jason smiled and shrugged in spite of himself. “I know it’s an incredible story, son. I can only relay it as it was told to me. Sadly, there are no records to keep account of such great events, and there are times when you simply know something happened just as it is being told.”
Jacinta smiled. “That’s another reason I write,” she spoke to Solomon, but her eyes were riveted on her father. “So that we might keep a clear account of our history—our horrors and our triumphs.” With that said, she stood and nodded toward Jason. “I’ll be saying goodnight to you both,” she spoke softly, gathering her skirts as she moved away from the table.
“I think I’ll be turning in now myself,” Solomon decided, standing as well.
Jason slapped his hands to his sides. “Why, this is perfect timing. Jaci, if you would be so kind as to show our Mister Dikembe to his quarters, they are right next to your own.”
Jacinta’s easy expression froze into a hard mask and she watched as Solomon smiled his devious smile and offered his arm. A taunting gleam lurked in the mysterious dark depths of his eyes as he silently dared her to refuse her father’s request.
“I know what you’re up to,” Jacinta mumbled once they’d entered the corridor leading to the passenger cabins.
“Up to?”
Jacinta extracted her hands from the crook of his arm. “Don’t pretend to be confused.”
Solomon grinned, his deep-set gaze narrowing playfully. “You know, you’re far too lovely to be so suspicious.”
“Humph. I have good reason to be in light of your disrespectful manner these past few weeks.”
“Disrespectful?” Solomon repeated, concern flashing on his handsome face. “There’s that word again. Why do you think so negatively of me?”
Jacinta’s jaw dropped and she stopped walking to turn and glare up at him. “I can’t believe you could question that.”
“You actually believe I’ve been disrespectful?”
“What would you label it as?” Jacinta challenged, her hands propped against her slender hips. “Obviously every woman who interests you falls quickly and willingly into your bed. I haven’t and you refuse to accept that I won’t, so you use these tactics of yours to…persuade me.” When her words were met with roaring laughter, Jacinta rolled her eyes and turned away.
“I seem to lose control of my actions when in your presence,” he softly called out to her.
Jacinta stopped, knowing she suffered the same affliction. She managed to just barely turn her head and face him. “May I suggest you get a handle on these emotions, Dikembe?” she whispered, before continuing on to her quarters.
That evening, sleep was slow in coming. Jacinta tossed and turned, her thoughts riveted on Solomon Dikembe and his earlier admission in the corridor. Slamming her fists against the tangle of crisp linens on the bed, she silently cursed the fact that she had been ordered to take the trip to Regal, especially when she so feared her inability to resist her father’s dashing guest. Whenever Solomon pressed the advantage, she found herself wanting to forget the fact that she’d been raised to be a lady. The thought forced a gasp to her lips, and Jacinta whipped back the covers and left her bed for the refreshment of the balcony adjacent to the cabin.
Outside, the sea air kissed her face the instant she walked out onto the polished pine flooring. She relished the feel of the breeze against her bare skin and through her loose hair.
Solomon had long since abandoned his cabin for the balcony. He’d been seated in shadow when Jacinta ventured out into the night. His dark eyes narrowed and shock registered on his face as he raked her petite, curvaceous frame. Her shift was transparent in the moonlight, the hem whipped around her thighs so that teasing glimpses of her bottom were revealed to his charcoal stare. He couldn’t look away and prayed she wouldn’t notice him watching her. He could feel his loins tightening beneath the fabric of his black sleep pants. One hand clenched into a massive fist when she stretched and trailed all ten fingers through her flowing, midnight locks. The flawless brown of her skin held him as mesmerized as the way her full breasts strained against the material of her white shift.
Then, just as suddenly as she’d appeared, she was gone. Solomon realized he’d been holding his breath.
Jacinta had heard knocking at her door and approached on tentative foot steps. “Who is it?” she called, feeling relief and mild disappointment when she heard her father’s voice instead of Solomon’s.
“Poppa,” she said quietly, “is something wrong?”
“Nothing at all, love,” Jason assured her, remaining outside in the corridor. “I only wanted you to know that I’ve decided to let you stay behind while I show Solomon the property on Kiawah Island. You can stay and visit with Esa. I’m sure the two of you have much to discuss.”
“Oh, Poppa, yes. Yes, I’d like that,” Jacinta breathed, her satisfaction genuine. Still, a peculiar look tinged her face. “Uh, Poppa if you don’t mind my saying…”
Jason shook his head. “By all means, child.”
Jacinta focused on her bare toes, hidden within the thick hand woven rug. “Well, it’s—it’s just that this trip seems less like business and more like recreation,” she admitted, wincing when Jason’s hearty chuckles filled the air.
“Are you complaining?” Jason taunted.
“Just observing.”
Jason was still chuckling. “Jaci, someone so lovely should not be so suspicious.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Jason leaned forward, taking her upper arms in a light hold before pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. “Get some sleep,” he ordered.
Still, moments after Jason’s departure, Jacinta stood in deep thought. Another knock sounded and she whipped open the door, thinking her father had returned. Solomon waited in the corridor.
Jacinta slowly retreated into the cabin as he approached. “What do you want?” she whispered, her gaze widening as she watched him close and bolt the cabin door.
“Out,” she ordered, as he moved toward her.
“Soon.”
“Now…Solomon…Don’t.”
“Why?” he challenged, one hand already closing around her upper arm. “Why? Because you find me so disrespectful—so unappealing?”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Jacinta whispered, trying to tug her arm free of his hold. She despised the helpless tone to the question. “Damn you, surely there must be scores of women who would gladly give you—”
“They don’t interest me. I only want you.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“But what I do know has me in a constant state of need.”
“Need,” she sneered, her gaze knowing. “Physical need,” she guessed.
Solomon conceded with a nod. “There’s more. But yes, physical need, and I can barely think straight because of it.”
“I can’t—we can’t.”
“We could. We will,” he promised, drawing her even closer to allow his lips to trail her temple and cheekbone.
“Solomon, please…” Jacinta’s protests trailed away to be followed by as gasp when his mouth teased the curve of her jaw. In one lithe motion he settled her high against his body, allowing him a more comfortable position to tease her neck.
Jacinta smothered a moan, her hands sliding across the crisp fabric of his partially unbuttoned sleep shirt. She could feel the solid wall of his chest crushing her breasts and wanted nothing more than to see if it was as powerful looking as it felt. Her eyes widened when she realized Solomon had carried her across the cabin and was placing her in the center of the bed. She could feel her heart thud frantically beneath her breast when the bottom of her shift lay bunched around her waist, leaving the rest of her bared to his eyes. Solomon seemed even more powerful, more massive, sprawled above her on the tangled mass of linens and quilts. She idly fingered the collar of his shirt and held her breath in anticipation of his next move.
Gently, he cupped her chin. His thumb caressed the fullness of her bottom lip before his mouth mimicked the action. Brief flicks of his tongue, brought Jacinta’s head from the pillow as she silently beckoned his kiss, a kiss he provided without restraint; the act was deep and full of emotion. Jacinta unconsciously arched herself into his iron frame, gasping each time his tongue stroked her mouth. She could feel something lengthy, firm and powerful nudging her belly. Instinctively, she moved against it, surprised by the helpless sound he uttered in response. Solomon broke the kiss to rain countless kisses across her face, his fingers disappeared in her breathtaking, luxurious locks before lowering to massage her back, shoulder, waist, then lower…
“Solomon…” she murmured, lost in a whirlwind of sensation. Her lashes fluttered each time his teeth tugged at her earlobe before his tongue suckled it in a sensuously slow manner. “Solomon, wait…” she begged, her legs quivering with a desire that was foreign, yet utterly pleasurable. She was but moments away from giving him verbal permission to do as he pleased, when his mouth ceased its magic and he rose above her. His incredible, bottomless black gaze was knowing in its intensity as he traced every inch of her face.
“This ache you feel,” he said, a lone finger trailing the satiny dark length of her thigh to curve just slightly into her femininity.
Jacinta’s luminous eyes grew impossibly wide and her breath caught in her throat.
“This ache will only grow,” he promised, smiling when a soft cry slipped past her lips and her lashes fluttered in response to the sensation. “Only when you are legally mine will I properly tend it,” he added, momentarily savoring the feel of her love before gently extracting his finger.
Jacinta didn’t trust herself to move. She managed to keep her eyes focused on his devastating face as he coolly backed off the bed and left the cabin.
* * *
Breakfast was just as delectable as the late night snack seven hours earlier. Jacinta arrived on the deck, noticing that her father and Solomon had yet to arrive. She prayed they were involved in business and that she could complete her breakfast and avoid Solomon that morning altogether. Such was not to be. When she turned her back on the view of the Atlantic, Solomon was arriving on deck.
“Good morning,” he greeted with a slow nod.
She returned the nod. “Morning,” she muttered, barely able to focus on anything except the softness of his baritone voice. It took her thoughts right back to the encounter in her cabin.
“Good mornin’ Miss Jaci, Mistuh Solomon!” Hans greeted him, setting out fresh juice to the sideboard.
“Hans, have you seen my father?” Jacinta asked the crewman.
“Oh, Miss Jaci, he ask to have his meal in the cabin—said he might sleep more ’fore we get to Regal,” Hans explained.
Obviously distressed, Jacinta turned her back on the two men lest they see her expression.
“Thank you, Hans,” Solomon told the young man. His stare raked Jacinta’s alluring frame, which was encased in the beautiful pearl blue gown with its silver piping, fitted lace sleeves and embroidered bodice which gave her slender neck an even more elegant line.
Jacinta shook her head and decided to concentrate on having her fill of the grits with hearty onion gravy, glazed and perfectly seasoned catfish, cornmeal muffins and fresh fruit. “You’re not eating?” she asked Solomon after glancing across her shoulder to find him seated at the table.
“Soon,” he responded. “I’m more in the mood for watching just now.”
Jacinta laughed, surprising both herself and the gentleman who teased her so sweetly.
“Mister Dikembe, don’t you ever run out of such completely inappropriate things to say to me?”
Solomon shrugged, folding his arms across the front of the finely crafted hunter green shirt he wore with black trousers and leather boots. “You may not believe this, but I never say such things,” he shrugged, stroking his shadowed jaw as though he were deep in concentration. “Perhaps I’ve been saving all this for you.”
“I feel so fortunate,” Jacinta drawled, setting her plate aside to reach for a cup and saucer. “At least have some tea,” she urged.
Solomon’s black eyes narrowed. “Is it my imagination, or are you being nice to me?”
Jacinta shook her head, her high ponytail bouncing between her shoulder blades in an adorable manner. “It’s your imagination. I’m simply giving you something else to focus on.”
“A cup of tea could never take my thoughts away from you.”
“Ahh, but that would depend on what is in the tea.”
“Surely you don’t subscribe to such foolishness,” Solomon questioned amidst soft laughter.
Jacinta gave a one shoulder shrug. “Well…I do know people,” she shared, placing a cup of tea before Solomon before turning to retrieve her plate and glass of juice from the sideboard. “My friend Esa, you’ll meet her on Regal, she’s a wizard with potions and herbs.”
Solomon was intrigued. “In truth?” he probed.
“Mmm…” Jacinta confirmed, drizzling a generous amount of the onion gravy atop the hominy grits. “She’s cured many aching heads in her day.”
“The place seems unreal the way your father talks about it,” Solomon mentioned, propping the side of his face against his palm as he enjoyed the sun and breeze against his face. “It’s amazing that Negro people could survive there for so long without having their way of life threatened.”
“It’s incredibly amazing,” Jacinta agreed, forking a morsel of the succulent catfish into her mouth. “I was especially amazed by it when I was younger and Poppa would tell me those stories.” Her smoky gaze misted with tears and blurred her view of the fluffy clouds overhead. “As I grew older and understood the horrors my people endure, I hoped Poppa’s stories were true. I’d imagined an entire kingdom living happy and free.”
“Even as a small girl you believed your father was spinning tall tales?” Solomon asked, leaning back to watch her. “So you’ve always had this suspicious nature?” he guessed when she only shrugged.
“Suspicion is usually justified,” Jacinta snapped, mildly offended by his observation. “People rarely surprise me, Dikembe. Especially you—”
“Mulattoes?” he finished, smirking when she looked away without answering. He left the table then to prepare his plate.
The remainder of breakfast passed silently.
CHAPTER 12
Seabrook Island, Charleston – October 1821
Jason stood at the wheel of the Lariat when the ship docked on Regal the next morning. The sun had just peeked above the thick white clouds that maintained their place against the backdrop of a vibrant sky that rivaled the blue of the water below. Acres of lush green from the waist-high grass that fenced the outskirts of the property, to the masses of pine trees that sprinkled the landscape and smattered the area with cool shade, added yet another splash of striking color to the stunning portrait.
Solomon stood mesmerized, looking on from his place on the deck. He had never seen a more beautiful place. It even rivaled the beauty of his own home, to which he thought there was no comparison. Never had he seen such a vibrant meshing of color. In truth, the only objects that gleamed white were the huge clouds above and the grand, white mansion perched atop a hill in the distance.
While the crew unloaded the bags, the passengers left the ship. Jason talked nonstop, pointing out different aspects of the property and relaying different stories to their newest visitor.
