Free Surrender to the Fury by Connie Mason Page A

ask my permission before providing my son with trinkets.”
    “Self-righteous little bitch,” Nick muttered to himself as he stomped from the kitchen. Aimee was quickly becoming a thorn in his side. He thought about her far too often for his own peace of mind. Of late he had begun to question his own sanity.
    Why he should want such a contrary little vixen was beyond his powers of reasoning. She had never explained to his satisfaction exactly why she held a grudge against him all these years—and how she had disappeared so thoroughly when he returned to find her later. He was deeply troubled by her attitude, and the feeling persisted that she was deliberately trying to protect someone. He never really was convinced that she was a professionalgambler, though Lord knows she was proficient enough at the game. There were so many things he wanted to know about her, just thinking about the situation gave him a vile headache.
    Nick was walking toward the stable to see if Scout had been shoed yet when another messenger arrived. Once again Aimee watched from the window as the messenger pressed a leather pouch into Nick’s hands before heading for the mess tent. She recalled Gar’s words and his obvious desperation. It was common knowledge that the Confederacy was backed against a wall, and now it was within her power to help turn the tide of defeat. Squaring her narrow shoulders, Aimee reluctantly accepted the task Gar forced on her. She waited until Nick returned to the house and entered his bedroom before quietly following him up the stairs.
    Walking to the window, Nick held the sheaf of papers up to the light and silently perused the dispatch from headquarters. General Sherman was concentrating all his power against Johnston’s army in Georgia. Atlanta, Confederate General Johnston’s base, was at the junction of four important railways. Its capture would be the death knell of the Confederacy. The dispatch set the date for Sherman’s spearhead into Atlanta, a battle in which Nick and his men were expected to join.
    Having read the dispatch through twice, Nick carefully refolded it, replacing it inside the pouch, intending to show it to Lieutenant Dill before destroying it. It contained dates, cities, and times that needed to be memorized by both officers in the event one fell in battle. He placed the pouch inside the small campaign chest that contained his sparearticles of clothing. Then he quickly left the room. He had heard his patrol returning and was anxious to receive their report of enemy movement in the area.
    Aimee waited until Nick left the house before entering his room. The first place she searched was the desk drawers. They contained nothing to rouse her suspicion. She turned her attention to the bureau, but that, too, held nothing of importance. Then she spied the small chest sitting beneath the window and quickly moved to inspect its contents. But to her chagrin, she was interrupted by Savannah, who entered the room carrying a stack of clean sheets in her arms. Aimee whipped around, her face flushed a guilty red.
    Savannah was dismayed to find Aimee in Captain Drummond’s room rifling his belongings. “What you doin’ in here, chile? De Captain ain’t gonna be pleased if he catches you goin’ through his belongin’s.”
    “I—I wasn’t—I mean, it’s none of your business, Savannah.” Turning abruptly, she fled from the room.

Chapter 4
     
    … b ig. He was so big, she feared he would split her in two. She must have conveyed her fright, for he whispered that he wouldn’t hurt her, promised her delights beyond what she felt with other lovers, told her how he adored the way she responded to him. She felt consumed by white-hot lightning when he took her nipple into his mouth. She arched into him. He began to suckle
.
    A warm knot formed in the pit of her stomach and she cried out. He turned to the other breast as his hand slid down between her thighs. She tried to clench her legs, but he wouldn’t