Angel Creek (31 page)

“And I hope the last.”

She smiled, remembering how difficult it had been for her to accept his help that first time. But she had learned that she could trust his strength, and that had made this time of convalescence easier. If it had been anyone but Lucas caring for her, she would have forced herself to return to Angel Creek long before she was well enough. But he had said he would look after it for her, and she trusted him with her life as well as her valley.

She caught his hands and carried them to her breasts, closing her eyes in pleasure at the contact. “I won't break,” she said huskily.

He picked her up and sat down in the big upholstered chair with her on his lap, her legs draped over the chair arm and her back supported by his left arm.
“I don't have much control,” he admitted, his voice a little thick. “If I lie down with you, I won't have any.”

“Do you need it?” she asked. She gave him a slow smile. “You could always make it up to me an hour from now.”

He laughed roughly. “I'm trying not to tire you out too much. I'm not going to make love to you all night long.”

“Pity,” she said.

“Yes, isn't it?” Slowly he brushed his mouth against hers, lightly touching his tongue to her lips. She slid her hand around his neck and moved closer, firming the contact. He obliged, slanting his head and deepening the pressure, gliding his tongue inward to meet hers. It had been so long that the onslaught of sensation was a little overwhelming, a little frightening, as if it were all new again.

Knowing that she was his, that he had the complete freedom of her body, went to his head faster than whiskey. He had meant to take his time, but the thin silk barrier over her breasts was intolerable, and he pulled the straps down her arms with two quick movements. She gasped a little as the bodice drooped to her waist, then she freed her arms from the straps and leaned back against his arm, offering him unobstructed sight and touch. He took advantage of both, cupping a soft mound in his palm and lifting it slightly as his thumb rasped over the nipple, making it tighten and stand erect. He pinched it lightly, enjoying the firm resilience.

“Lucas.”

“What?” The word was absently spoken.

“I don't need a lot of attention.”

He looked up and noticed the color in her cheeks, the way her breathing had hastened. “It's been a long time for me, too,” she said, strain evident in her voice.

He held her gaze and slid his hand up her thigh, pushing the gown high and baring her legs. When he reached the notch between her legs he expertly slipped his fingers in, sliding them along the soft folds. Dee's body jerked, and she let her legs fall open. “Don't close your eyes,” he whispered when he saw her lashes start to droop. “Keep them open. Look at me.”

She blinked, trying to focus, but her expression was dazed. He touched her soft opening and lightly circled it with his fingertips. She couldn't help it; her head fell back over his arm as her entire body tightened, the heated sensation coiling through her. He let her lie back with her head dangling backwards and removed the support of his left arm, leaving her lying across his lap like a sacrifice.

She felt helpless lying like that, totally at his mercy. She was bare except for the nightgown twisted around her waist, and totally boneless, unable to sit up even if she had wanted to. He pushed her legs further apart, and cool air washed over her sensitive flesh, telling her how exposed she was to his gaze. She heard a low, throbbing moan and knew it was hers.

“Are you ready for me?” he whispered, and he slid one big finger into her.

She arched and cried out, the hot tension radiating from her loins in waves. He moved his finger in and out, stimulating her almost beyond sanity, making her writhe on his lap in helpless, mounting ecstasy.

She was like fire, out of control and rapidly escalating
toward climax. “Not yet,” he said urgently, sitting her up and turning her so that she faced him, sitting astride his lap with her legs spread. He tore at the buttons of his pants. “Not yet. I want to be inside you, sweetheart, I want to feel you come.”

“Hurry,” she moaned, her hips undulating in search of the hot pleasure he had taught her.

He grunted as he freed his swollen organ and held it braced for her, his other hand on her buttocks bringing her forward, sliding her onto his shaft. She almost screamed at his hard, fierce heat penetrating deep into her. His big hands closed on her hips, and he moved her up, down, up again. The second downward stroke was all she required, and she was lost, submerged in the shimmering wave of sensation that caught her and tossed her in its upheaval, sending her inner sheath into spasms and making her soft muscles clamp down on him. He threw back his head with a harsh groan, fighting his response, but it was too late for him, too. He heaved upward, his fingers bit into the soft flesh of her hips as he ground her down onto his manhood, penetrating as deep into her as he could go, and his hot seed erupted with a force that convulsed him.

They calmed slowly, small aftershocks of sensation erupting along their nerve endings and prolonging the pleasure. Fatigue settled on Dee like a heavy blanket, and she slumped forward, her face buried against his throat, unable to move.

Lucas held her cradled in his arms. He felt pretty damn weak himself. He rubbed her back, luxuriating in the aftermath of release. “Dee? Honey, are you all right?”

She made a noise, but nothing that resembled words.

He gripped her arms, holding her back a little from his chest. She was utterly boneless. “Dee? Damn it, answer me.”

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled.

He eased her back down onto his chest, stroking her hair away from her face. “Do you want to go to bed now?”

“Mmm.”

He smiled and closed his eyes. God, it felt good to hold her, to feel her safe and warm in his arms. It felt good to thrust into her and let go of his control, to feel the deep linking.

He shifted her in his arms so she was lying sideways again and awkwardly pulled up his pants with one hand while he supported her with the other. She looked blissfully asleep and didn't stir even when he got to his feet. He placed her on the bed, removed the nightgown, shed his own clothing, put out the lamp, and got into bed beside her. He settled her against him, feeling the contentment now that she was where she belonged. If he had his way, she'd never spend another night away from him.

He normally woke before dawn, and the next day was no exception. He was achingly hard. Dee stirred against him, and he mounted her, sliding into her with a total lack of haste.

This time it was slow, almost leisurely. She responded drowsily, and he tried not to make any great demands on her. The demands of her own body,
however, eventually dispelled her lassitude, and she began moving under him with increasing urgency. The morning sun, already hot, was rising over the mountains by the time they relaxed, mutually replete.

Realization of what he had done hit him like a poleax. He propped himself up on his elbow, his hand going to her belly. “Damn it, we didn't use the sponges.”

Her eyes opened, and they looked at each other in silence. He didn't say, “If you get pregnant, we'll get married,” because she didn't respond well to ultimatums, and that's essentially what the statement would be. What he said was, “If we had a kid it would have to be a pure hell-raiser,” and a slow grin spread across his face as he contemplated the idea.

“Don't look like that,” she grumped.

“Like what?”

“Like the idea tickles you.”

“It does. Just think what a fighter a son of ours would be.”

“It would serve you right if you only had girls,” she announced, “and every one of them was just like you. Just think of all the young men prowling around.”

The idea was mind-boggling. He fervently hoped he never had any daughters, because he didn't think his heart could bear up under the strain, especially if they were anything like their mother. Dee didn't know it yet, Lucas thought to himself, but she was going to be the one having his kids.

Two days later they had visitors at the Double C. Dee was sitting on the porch, and Lucas, who had
made a point to stay close by since she had truly begun recovering, was in the barn. He walked up to the house when he saw a pair of riders approach.

Dee got to her feet and walked to the steps. One of the riders was Olivia. Betsy had been full of the gossip about Olivia marrying a Mexican gunman who just happened to be the very same man who had risked his life to help Dee during the fight with the Bar B men, of which he had been one. All of that had confused Dee, because she hadn't known anyone was helping. It certainly explained why she had been able to hold them off for so long, however. And she had never even met the man whom Olivia loved.

But she was about to meet him, for the man riding with Olivia was tall and lean and darkly handsome, and the way he wore his gun said that he was very proficient with it. She looked at him curiously and felt a little shy.

“Oh, Dee, you're looking so well,” Olivia said warmly as she slid from her horse. With a small sense of shock Dee realized that Olivia had been riding astride, something she would never have suspected her of doing. It was something that she herself did all the time, but Olivia was different.

“I feel fine,” Dee said, smiling as she went down the steps. “I don't have my full strength back, but every day I'm a little stronger.”

They hugged each other, aware as they did so that their lives had changed over the course of this summer and would never again be the same. Olivia's eyes misted over, and Dee bit her lip to keep her control.

Luis dismounted and stood beside Olivia, his dark eyes surveying Dee with obvious approval. She felt
herself blushing a little and was surprised at herself. There was something in that very male look, which was in no way insulting, that made her soften. “This is my husband,” Olivia said with pride. “Luis Fronteras. Luis, this is Dee Swann, my best friend.”

Dee held out her hand, but instead of shaking it Luis folded her fingers tenderly in his and carried them to his lips. “Miss Swann, you were amazing with that shotgun. It was something to see.”

Her hand still tingled where he had kissed it. She looked down at it in amazement, then back up to Luis. “I owe you my life,” she said simply. “Thank you.”

“Thank Mr. Cochran,” Luis said, nodding toward Lucas, who was striding toward them. “If he hadn't arrived when he had, I think we would both be dead.”

Lucas shook Luis's hand and kissed Olivia's cheek. “Congratulations,” he said to Luis. “You have a wonderful woman for a wife.”

“I think so,” Luis said peacefully.

“Come inside and have something cool to drink,” Dee invited. “It's too hot to stand around out here.”

Lucas put his hand on Dee's elbow as she went up the steps. She was feeling the effects of the heat far more than anyone else, which indicated how far she was from complete recovery.

There was iced tea to drink, for Orris had been making it for Dee. Lucas and Luis each took a glass, and their eyes met ruefully, but they didn't say anything. Dee and Olivia, of course, saw nothing unusual in drinking tea.

“I wanted to see for myself that you were recovering,” Olivia said to Dee, “and to tell you and Lucas good-bye. Luis and I are leaving tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” Dee asked. “Will I ever see you again?”

“Of course you will! We won't be gone forever. We're going to go to St. Louis and take a train ride.” A look of ecstasy came into Olivia's blue eyes. “We're going to go as far as the tracks will take us. It's something I've always wanted to do.”

Dee thought about it. She had always thought of traveling as what you had to do to get to a definite destination; she had never considered traveling just for the sake of traveling. If that was Olivia's dream, she could scarcely have picked a better husband for herself. She wished them all the happiness in the world.

Lucas and Luis were talking quietly, and without being able to hear what was said Dee knew they were discussing what had happened at Angel Creek. Their faces were too serious for it to be otherwise.

“Bellamy hasn't been seen in town,” Luis said. “Opinion is pretty strong against him.” He eyed Lucas. “I heard you beat the hell out of him.”

“I tried hard enough,” Lucas replied grimly.

“Tillie has been staying out at the Bar B with him, taking care of him.”

“She loves him,” Lucas said. “I don't understand it myself, but she does.”

“Yet she still rode out here to get you to stop him.”

“And she was crying the whole time. She begged me not to kill him. I guess I would have if it hadn't been for her. If Dee had died, I'd have killed him anyway.”

“Is Dee truly all right?”

Lucas glanced over at her. “Stronger every day. She'll want to go back to Angel Creek pretty soon.”

Luis grimaced. He knew what Lucas had done, because he'd heard rumors and had ridden out to Angel Creek himself to see if they were true. He hadn't told Olivia, knowing that she would be very upset on Dee's behalf. His dark eyes were grave. “I don't envy you, my friend, when she finds out.”

Lucas grinned. “It'll be interesting for a while, but she'll eventually see reason.”

“If she loves it so much,” Luis said, “she may be too hurt to see anything but the pain. You took a big risk.”

“And I'd do it again,” Lucas said quietly. “I'd sow every acre of it with salt if that was the only way I could keep her safe.”

D
EE WOKE UP AND STRETCHED LAZILY, DELICIOUSLY
aware of Lucas next to her in the bed. They had slept together every night for over two weeks, and she had cherished every moment of it because she knew it couldn't last. She lay in the early-morning darkness and faced the knowledge that the time had come for her to go home. She was fully recovered; there was no need to stay and every reason for her to leave. She had so much work to do that she didn't know if she would be able to handle it, but she had to get started or lose her entire garden. Vegetables wouldn't wait indefinitely without spoiling.