A Wife for a Westmoreland (7 page)

His heart beat hard in his chest. That statement alone showed how different she was from the other women he messed around with. And that difference, among other things, he was convinced, was what had him here with her now.

“I don’t want any apologies from you,” he said,
leaning in closer, drawing one of her earlobes between his lips. “This is what I want.” He then brushed his tongue across her lips and when she gave a sharp intake of breath, he did it again. And again.

“Why, Derringer…why me?” she whispered moments before she began trembling against the door.

“Why not you?” he breathed huskily against her lips before bending close to taste them again. Her flavor as well as her scent was getting to him on a level that made him want to push forward instead of drawing back.

Then deciding they had done enough talking for now, he sidled up closer to her and pressed his mouth to hers.

By rights she should send him away, Lucia’s mind screamed over and over again. But it was hard to listen to what her mind was saying when Derringer was causing so much havoc with her body. This was the kind of kiss that could knock the sense out of a woman. It was long, deep and downright greedy. He was eating at her mouth as if it were his last meal, and there was no doubt in her mind this kiss was definitely X-rated.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, his erection was pressing into her right at the juncture of her thighs, cradled against her womanly mound as if it had specifically sought out that part of her. And then there were the nipples of her breasts that were piercing his chest through the material of her T-shirt. She couldn’t help but remember how it felt when they had been flesh to flesh, skin to skin. If he was seducing her then he was certainly going at it the right way.

He suddenly pulled back. Puzzled as to why, she
nervously chewed on her bottom lip—a lip he’d just released from devouring—and stared up at him. He was staring back. “I think we need to take time and think through a few things,” he said huskily.

She arched a bemused brow. He evidently was speaking for himself. As far as she was concerned there was nothing to think through. She knew what she wanted and had a feeling that he did, too. So what was the problem? She knew the score. Nothing was forever with Derringer Westmoreland and she was okay with that. Although she was hopelessly in love with the man, she knew her limitations. She had accepted them long ago. She had made more strides within the last twelve days than she’d expected in her entire lifetime. They had made love, for heaven’s sake, and he had kissed her senseless a week ago tomorrow.

But still…she was no longer a teenager with fantasies of him marrying her and living happily ever after with each other. She totally understood that was not the way the ball would bounce. She was not entering into anything with him blindly; she had both eyes wide open. Bottom line was that she didn’t have to safeguard her heart. Although she wished otherwise, the man had her heart, lock, stock and barrel, and it was too late to do anything about it but gladly take whatever she could and live the rest of her life on memories.

“I think I need to give you time to get dressed so we can get to the skating rink.”

She couldn’t help but smile softly. “Do you really want to do that?”

He shook his head. “No, but if you knew what I really want to do you would probably kick me out.”

“Try me.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “No, I think I’ll pass. I’ll wait out here until you change clothes.”

She moved around him to head down the hall and stopped right before crossing the threshold into her room. “You know it would probably be more fun if we stayed here, don’t you?”

He smiled then said in a firm voice, “Go get dressed, Lucia.”

Laughing, she entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her. While removing her clothes, Lucia made a decision about something.

For the first time ever she intended to try her luck at seducing a man.

D
erringer glanced over at Lucia, who was across the room standing in line to check out their roller skates. He had two words to describe the jeans she was wearing—snug and tight. And then the first two words that would describe her overall appearance tonight were hot and sexy.

Deciding he needed to stop staring at her every chance he got, he glanced around. He had expected the place to be crowded since it was a Friday night, but why were there more kids than adults? Granted, it had been years since he’d gone skating, but still, he would think it was past these kids’ bedtime.

He laughed recalling how some smart-mouthed preteen had come up to him a few minutes ago and said he hoped he and Lucia were fast enough on the skates to keep up and not get in anyone’s way. Hell, he and Lucia weren’t
that
old.

“What’s so funny?”

He glanced down to see Lucia had returned with their skates. He then told her about the smart-mouthed kid and she smiled. “Doesn’t this city still have a curfew?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “Not anymore.”

He lifted a brow. “When did they do away with it?” He figured she would know because her dad had been a member of Denver’s city council for years.

She smiled sweetly up at him. “They did away with it when Bane turned eighteen.”

He stared at her for a second, saw she was serious and threw his head back and laughed so hard they couldn’t help but get attention. “You’re making a scene, Derringer Westmoreland,” she whispered.

He shook his head and pulled her closer to him. “Is there anywhere Bane didn’t leave his mark?”

“According to my father, the answer to that question is a resounding no. Now, come on,
old man,
or that kid will return and ask us to step aside.”

He took her teasing of his age in stride, but still he reached out and grabbed her around the waist. “I’ll show you who’s old and who’s not,” he said, and then he took off, pulling her with him.

It was past three in the morning when Derringer returned Lucia home, and he smiled as he escorted her inside her home. It had taken a while, but he’d eventually shown that smart-mouthed kid why he once had earned the reputation of being hell on wheels with roller skates. And then when the kid had found out he was a Westmoreland—a cousin to the infamous Bane Westmoreland—he had to all but sign autographs.

“Can you believe those kids actually think Bane is some kind of hero?” he said, dropping onto Lucia’s love seat.

She chuckled as she sat down on the sofa across from him. “Yes, I can believe that. Bane was bold enough to do some of the horrific things they would probably love to try but know that they can’t get away with doing. Tell me, who in their right mind would take off in the sheriff’s car while he’s giving someone a ticket other than Bane? He became something of a legend if you were to read some of the stuff the girls wrote all over the walls in the bathroom at the local high school. He and the twins.”

He glanced over at her. “How do you know about those walls? That was after your time.”

She smiled as she settled back against the cushions, wrapping her arms across the back. “I have a young cousin who used to have a crush on Aidan and he’s all she used to talk about then, in addition to all the trouble Aidan, Adrian and Bane would get into.”

Derringer shook his head and chuckled, remembering those times. “And let’s not forget Bailey—she was just as bad. At one time we considered sending all four of them to military school, but that would be like giving up on our own, and we knew we couldn’t do that.”

A serious expression touched his features before he said, “I don’t tell Ramsey and Dillon enough how much I appreciate them keeping our family together. Losing my parents and my aunt and uncle at the same time was hard on everyone, but they helped us get through it.” Derringer inwardly struggled with what he’d just told
her, realizing he had never shared those emotions and feelings with anyone, certainly not any of his women.

“I’m sure they know you appreciate what they did, Derringer. The proof is in the successful, law-abiding men and women you all became. That’s a testimony in itself. The Westmorelands are getting something now the townspeople figured they wouldn’t ever get after your parents and aunt and uncle passed away.”

He lifted a brow. “And what’s that?”

“Respect.” A smile touched her lips when she added, “And admiration. I wish you would have noticed the look on that kid’s face tonight when he realized you were a Westmoreland.”

Derringer snorted. “Yes, but he was admiring me for all the wrong reasons.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He knew deep down that Lucia was right—it didn’t matter, because in the end what Dillon and Ramsey had done was indeed a success story in his book. He stretched his legs out in front of him thinking how throughout the evening he had enjoyed the time he was spending with Lucia. It had been the first time he’d spent with a woman when he’d had honest-to-goodness fun. She had been herself and hadn’t gone out of her way to impress him and draw all the attention on her.

Even on the drive to and from the skating arena he had enjoyed their conversation, and although it was hard to believe, they had a lot in common and shared the same interests. They both enjoyed watching Westerns, they enjoyed a good comedy every once in a while and were huge fans of the Wayans brothers, Bill Cosby and
Sandra Bullock. She also rode horses and enjoyed going hunting.

But more than anything, he had enjoyed being with her, sharing her space and breathing the same air that she did. And he smiled, thinking she wasn’t too bad on roller skates either. He had enjoyed going around the rink with her, often hearing her throaty laugh, looking over at her and seeing the huge smile on her face; and he especially liked wrapping his arms around her waist when they skated together.

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Derringer. I really enjoyed myself.”

He glanced over at her. At some point, she had removed her boots and shifted position on the sofa to tuck her jeans-clad legs beneath her. But still, it didn’t take much to remember how her long, curvy legs looked in a pair of shorts, a skirt or a dress. But most of all, he could recall those same legs wrapped around his waist while they had made love. The more time he spent with her, the more things were coming back to him that he had forgotten about their night together.

“I enjoyed myself as well,” he responded.

“You were pretty good on those skates.”

“You weren’t so bad yourself.” He wondered why he was sitting here making small talk with her when what he really wanted to do was to cross the room and join her on that sofa. His attention was trained directly on her and he could tell by the way she was moving her fingers on her knee he was making her nervous.

“Lucia, does my being here bother you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you’re over there and I’m here,” he didn’t
hesitate to say. He watched as she nervously licked her bottom lip, and immediately the lower part of his body—directly behind his zipper—responded in a hard-up way.

“There’s nothing keeping you over there, Derringer,” she said softly.

He couldn’t help but smile at her deduction. She was right. There was nothing keeping him on this love seat when more than anything he wanted to be on that sofa with her. Knowing what he should do was stand up, thank her again for a good time and head toward the door and leave, never to return again, he remained seated for a minute. But he knew, just as much as he knew that tomorrow would bring another day, he wasn’t going to do that.

And he also knew that she didn’t know, she didn’t have a clue just what she did to him, what being here with her was doing to him. He figured his intense attraction to her had everything to do with the night they had made love. But that wouldn’t make sense since he’d made love to a number of women before and none had left the kind of lasting impression that she had. So why had the time with her been different, and why was he so quick to accept that it was?

The answer nearly made him tremble inside. It made his chest clench and made blood rush through his veins. She was deeply embedded in his system and he knew only one way to get her out of there. When they’d made love before, he hadn’t been completely coherent and maybe that was the problem. Now he needed to make love to her in his right mind, if for no other reason than to purge her from his thoughts, mind and body. Then
he could get on with his life and she could get on with hers. But before it was all over, he intended to let her know he was well aware that she had been his visitor that night.

Deciding he was doing too much thinking and not delivering enough action, he eased off the love seat.

Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Deep down, Lucia knew she didn’t want to do either as she watched Derringer slowly move toward her. Why was she getting all tense and nervous? Hadn’t she made up her mind to seduce him tonight? But it seemed as if he had beat her to the punch and he was about to take things into his own hands. Literally.

His visit had been a surprise. She hadn’t expected him tonight. He was the most unlikely person to show up at her place tonight or any other time. Not only had he shown up, but he’d taken her out again. Skating. It was their second date and he claimed the reason he was here was because he had needed to see her.

She knew needing to see her had only been a line and men like Derringer were good at saying such things. They said whatever they thought a woman wanted to hear. But that hadn’t stopped her from allowing herself to be taken in, relish the moments spent with him and be greedy enough to want more. She would take whatever part of Derringer she could get. Tomorrow she would wake up and hate herself for being such a weakling where he was concerned, but she would also wake wearing the blush of a satisfied woman all over her face.

There was no doubt in her mind that he intended
to make love to her. He’d done it before, and from the dark, intense look in his eyes, he planned to do so again. And tonight he wouldn’t get any resistance, because she loved him just that much and was secretly grateful for this time with him.

He slid down beside her on the sofa. “There is just something tantalizingly sweet about your scent, Lucia.”

Another line, she was sure of it. “Is there?”

“Yes. It makes my body burn for you,” he said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

She drew in a deep breath, thinking she would love to believe what he was saying, but knew better. However, tonight it was all about make-believe. Besides, it was hard not to melt under the intense look he was giving her and the way his arm felt around her shoulders. And he was sitting so close, every time he spoke his warm breath blew across her lips.

He then pulled back slightly and gazed at her thoughtfully. “You don’t believe a word I’ve said, do you?”

She began nibbling on her bottom lip. She could easily lie and assure him that she did, but deep down she knew she didn’t believe him. She tilted her chin upward. “Does it matter whether or not I believe you, Derringer?”

He continued to stare at her for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face, and for a split second she thought he was going to say something but he didn’t. Instead, he reached out and cupped her chin with his fingertips before slowly lowering his mouth to hers.

Sensations ripped through her the moment their lips
touched. She closed her eyes when his tongue eased into her mouth and he began kissing her with a hunger that had her groaning deep in her throat.

Her heart thundered when he captured her tongue with his and began doing all kinds of erotic things to it, sucking on it as if there was a time limit to get his fill, mating their tongues as if all they had was the here and now. This was the kind of kissing that made a woman forget that she was supposed to be a lady.

She wanted this. She wanted every mind-blowing moment because she knew there
was
a time limit on this fantasy. Everyone around town knew of Derringer’s reputation for getting tired of his women quickly. There was only a chosen one or two who were determined to hang in for the long haul no matter what—by their choice and not his. She refused to be one of those women. She would take this and be satisfied.

When he broke off the kiss to shift their positions to press her back against the sofa cushions, she moved willingly with him. She gazed up at him when his body eased on top of hers. She could feel his hard erection between her thighs.

He lowered his head and began nibbling around her throat, taking the tip of his tongue and licking around her chin. “Too many clothes.” She heard him utter the word moments before he leaned up and, without warning, pulled the sweater over her head. He tossed it to the floor. He then proceeded to tug her jeans down her legs.

He looked down at her and smiled at her matching red lace bra and panties. She wondered what was going through his mind and why he was so captivated by
her lingerie. He then glanced back up at her. “I like a woman who wears lace,” he whispered huskily before leaning down and taking her mouth once more.

His lips seemed incredibly hot and he had no problem sliding his tongue where he pleased while kissing her with slow, deep strokes. And when she felt his fingers move toward her breasts, ease under her bra to stroke a nipple, she nearly shot off the sofa when sensations speared through her.

“Derringer…” she whispered in a strained voice.

This was getting to be too much and she began quivering almost uncontrollably, knowing what she’d heard for years was true. Derringer Westmoreland was almost too much for any woman to handle.

She was wrong. It did matter to him that she believed what he said
.

That thought raged through Derringer’s mind as he continued to kiss her with a hunger he could not understand. What was there about her that made him want to taste her all over, make her groan mercilessly and torture her over and over again before exploding inside her? The mere thought of doing the latter made his groin throb.