Bedded Then Wed (11 page)

As it was, he lay awake at night, remembering what it had been like to hold her, caress her, be inside her. Before, when their relationship had been casual instead of complicated, temporary instead of permanent.

He lifted his mug with both hands and took a long slug of hot chocolate, wishing it were something ice-cold to cool his ardor. Not that it would make much difference. With Emma around, he was in a constant, near-painful state of arousal.

In between bites of toast and sips of cocoa, she was talking about the new colt that had just been born. Her voice was light and upbeat. It washed over him and soothed his jagged nerve endings, even as it turned him on.

She had that effect on him. Hand in hand with his desire for her came a deep level of comfort. Like a roaring fire on a cold winter’s night or the kind of ease he would expect to feel after living with someone for fifty years.

But it had always been that way with Emma. Maybe because they’d grown up together and had seen each other through the chicken pox and gawky teen years, broken bones and broken hearts.

Or maybe it was just Emma, with her soft smile and kind eyes and her gentle demeanor that seemed to accept everyone for who they were, warts and all.

And God knew he had enough warts for a garden full of toads. It hadn’t always been that way, but it sure as hell was these days. Frankly, he didn’t know why she’d gotten involved with him in the first place, let alone agreed to marry and move in with him.

“Mitch?”

He blinked, suddenly aware that her stream of chitchat had ended and she was looking at him as though waiting for an answer.

Shaking his head, he set his cup on the table with a small clunk and said, “Sorry, guess my mind drifted there for a minute. What was the question?”

She smiled and shook the hair back from her face. It was still damp from the storm, falling in dark, stringy strands around her shoulders.

And her hair wasn’t the only thing that was damp. Though they’d been indoors for nearly half an hour, her long white nightgown was still wet in patches. The thin cotton material had been no real barrier to the pounding rain, and despite her claims that she wasn’t cold, her nipples had beaded into tight, rosy points.

He could see them clearly through the transparent fabric. Or perhaps it was just his imagination, his memory of how her breasts looked, felt in his hands, tasted against his lips and tongue.

Dammit, he was as stiff as a fence post. If the wide tabletop hadn’t hidden the lower half of his body from view, Emma would no longer have had a single doubt about his feelings for her. He may have been able to tell her he wasn’t interested with a straight face, but his physical response to her was bound to give him away if he wasn’t careful.

Inhaling and exhaling with almost surgical precision, he fought to get his longing under control. His fingers tightened around the mug in his hands until the knuckles turned white, and he made himself meet Emma’s gaze head-on rather than drifting toward her alluring chest.

“It was nothing,” she said, still smiling, oblivious to the war that was raging in his bloodstream. “I was rattling on about nothing very important.”

And then she stood, carrying her empty cup to the sink. “You’re probably tired and don’t need to stay up with me just to be polite.”

While she rinsed her mug and brushed crumbs from the plate she’d used for toast, Mitch seized the opportunity to rise from the table. With her back to him, he could slip out and away before she noticed the rather prominent bulge in his jeans.

“Here you go,” he said, standing as far away as possible while at the same time reaching around to set his own mug in the sink.

His plan was to dump the glass, then hightail it out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom, where he could lock the door and be safely away from Emma’s unintentional seduction.

But at the same moment glass clinked on stainless steel, she turned, the front of her body coming flush with his own.

The tiny expanse of her belly brushed just above his belt buckle, the loose fabric of her gown across his groin, and he groaned. It was like setting a hot branding iron to naked flesh. In a flash, his diaphragm clenched, his heart lurched and his blood reached the boiling point.

Her blue eyes stared up at him, wide open and swimming with an odd mix of uncertainty and longing.

He swore, cursing himself for being the one to make her doubt her beauty, her desirability. He’d meant to keep his hands off of her, yes, but never to lessen her self-esteem or self-assuredness.

She was beautiful, amazing. Any man would be lucky to have her. He just happened to be the poor sap who’d gained her affection when he was neither worthy of nor able to return her feelings.

“Emma…” He ran a hand over her tangled hair, cupping the back of her head in his palm.

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips and he almost exploded. He pressed closer, rubbing sensually against her where he needed her touch the most.

In a soft, shaky voice, she whispered, “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

With a moan, he let his head drop until their brows met. “I always want you,” he told her in a gravelly voice. “I didn’t want to want you, I tried to fight it, but it’s still there. Every day, every night, awake or asleep. I’ve taken more cold showers since you moved in here than ever before in my life, and not a damn one helped.”

Her eyes welled and for a moment he feared she was about to burst into tears.

“You could have fooled me,” she said with a hint of anger, her tone stronger and more confident than before.

“I tried to fool you. I tried to fool myself. But this doesn’t lie.” He pushed the hard ridge of his erection into the apex of her thighs, letting her know exactly how much he craved her.

Something flashed in her eyes for a brief second, a hint of lust to match his own. But then she tamped it down and her expression grew serious.

“What if I told you that I’m only willing to sleep with you if I know you love me and are serious about making this marriage work?”

His jaw clenched, his fingers tightening where they wrapped around her delicate forearms. “I’m serious about making this marriage work,” he responded carefully.

“But you don’t love me.”

She said it matter-of-factly when he would have expected her to make it sound more like an accusation. Before he could answer, she shrugged a slim shoulder and a ghost of a smile began to play on her lips.

“It’s all right,” she told him. “If you’d said you did, I’d have known you were only doing it to get me into bed. At least this way, I know you’re being honest with me.”

“I’ve never lied to you,” he said firmly. There may have been a few occasions when he hadn’t told her the entire truth, but he’d never lied.

She leaned closer, letting the heat of her body mingle with his and running her hands over the taut muscles of his biceps.

“If we do this,” she said in a low voice that poured over his skin like aged whiskey, “there’s no going back. Consummating our marriage means we can’t get an annulment if we change our minds in a few weeks. We would have to divorce.”

“The thought never entered my mind,” he told her truthfully. “And there won’t be any divorce. When I said ‘till death do us part,’ I meant it.”

He’d married her for better or worse, with his eyes wide open. It may not have been for love, may only have been to give their child a stable home and protect Emma’s reputation, but he’d always intended it to be a forever thing. No matter what.

Her fingers moved from his shoulders to the back of his head, tangling in the short strands of his hair. “Then I guess it’s about time we had our wedding night.”

His hands framed her face as his mouth threatened to devour her. She might have been frightened by the desperation in his kiss, his touch, if she hadn’t been equally desperate and aroused.

Without breaking the kiss, he stroked down the sides of her throat, over her breasts, coming to rest with his hands on the slight swell of her abdomen. His thumbs moved up and down as though testing the shape and texture of her expanding figure.

He pulled away, his chest heaving with each ragged breath he struggled to take into his lungs. She was gasping, too, and shaking so hard she was surprised she was able to stay on her feet.

“Is it all right?” he asked. “With the baby…is it all right if we do this?”

“Oh, yes.” She ran her hand over the rough line of his bristled jaw and smiled encouragingly. “It’s fine, I promise. You won’t hurt either one of us.”

“Thank God.”

It was the most heartfelt declaration she’d ever heard from him, and she might have laughed if he hadn’t leaned in and scooped her off her feet so fast, all she could do was yelp and hold on tightly.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you to my room,” he told her, his long strides eating up the floor as he stalked through the kitchen, dining room and up the stairs, carrying her as effortlessly as he would a bag of grain.

“Ever since you moved in, I’ve dreamed of having you in my bed. I can’t sleep at night for wanting you so bad.”

“I was right across the hall,” she whispered softly, using her teeth and tongue to tease the lobe of his ear. “Why didn’t you ever come over and get me?”

“I was trying to do the honorable thing.” He groaned low in his throat, a sound that came much closer to a growl. “Dammit, I didn’t want to use you. Just because we had to get married, I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage of you.”

“It’s not taking advantage if I want you back,” she said as they reached the bedroom and he kicked the door closed behind them, heading directly for the wide, king-size bed.

The covers were pulled down and tangled, as though he hadn’t made the bed in several days. Not that she cared. She had a feeling the sheets would be in much worse shape by the time they finished with them.

“In the morning, I hope you’ll remember you said that. Because I am going to make love to you tonight, and I won’t regret it for a second, even if you think I should.”

He set her gently in the center of the bed, before stepping back to loosen his belt and pop the buttons of his shirt. Shrugging his arms out of the sleeves, he let the soft plaid flutter to the floor, then went to work on the front of his jeans. He shoved the denim and his underwear down his legs, kicking them aside.

He strode back to her, delectably naked and fully aroused. She only had a moment to appreciate his long legs and broad, muscular chest before the mattress dipped and he was stretched out beside her, kissing her lips and caressing the flesh of her arm, left bare by her sleeveless nightgown.

His fingers trailed upward, around the lacy edge of material near her collarbone, then over the rise of her breast to the line of tiny pearl buttons lining the front of her gown.

As he began slipping them through their holes, he lifted his head and murmured against her mouth, “Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are? And that you have lousy taste in sleepwear? These buttons are too damn small.”

Her heart leapt at his compliment, then settled back in her chest as she chuckled at his complaint. If she’d known the evening was going to lead to something as wonderful as this, she’d have worn a robe—and not a stitch more.

“Please tell me this isn’t one of your favorite nighties,” he said, his head bowed now as he concentrated. He had six buttons undone and was still only halfway down her chest.

“No, not at all, it’s just—”

“Good. I’ll buy you another one, I swear.”

And then the sound of tearing filled the room, followed by the soft ping of tiny plastic buttons hitting the floor, headboard, nightstand. Cool air hit her chest as he laid her bare.

When he moved to push the gown down her arms, she sat up to help him, then lifted her hips and legs so he could get rid of the offending garment altogether. It landed on the floor near his own pile of quickly discarded clothes.

He covered her once again with his own long, hot body, and she wrapped her arms around his back, loving the feel of his warm, smooth skin beneath her hands, his hair-roughened chest abrading her nipples, the hard, throbbing length of him pressing between her legs.

She opened for him, more than ready to take him inside her. Yearning for it, aching with all the pent-up passions she’d been struggling with since their ill-fated wedding night.

But Mitch seemed to be in no rush. Instead, he kissed her, ran his hands through her hair, over her breasts. His thumbs teased the tightened peaks until she writhed beneath him, and then he followed the action with his lips. His tongue licked and swirled before he drew the entire tip into his mouth to suckle.

She whimpered, holding tightly to the back of his head even as the sensations became almost too painfully pleasurable to bear.

With one final swipe, he moved away, only to stare down at her with his own dark, smoky-gray gaze.

“They’re bigger. Not by much, but I could tell just by looking. The same here.”

His hand moved down to cover her belly and a shiver of awareness rippled through her.

“The baby’s growing.” With his eyes still locked on hers, he said, “Do you have any idea what that does to me? Watching your body change, knowing I played a part in it?”

He slipped down until his face hovered just above her abdomen. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to the minor bulge, then lifted his head and grinned. “I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks now.”

She returned his smile, blinking rapidly and swallowing hard to keep emotion from clogging her throat. “I’ve wanted you to do it.”

That and so much more. She’d wanted him to touch her, kiss her, hold her. She’d wanted to fall asleep in his arms and wake up the same way. She’d wanted to talk with him and laugh with him and share some of the changes her body was just beginning to go through.

And now he was doing at least some of those things. It gave her hope and lifted her spirits for the first time in months.

He continued to dribble soft, ticklish butterfly kisses over her stomach before moving lower. She squirmed, suddenly shy, and tried to pull him back up by tugging at his hair. But he ignored her, continuing his quest and shifting her legs so her thighs were balanced on his shoulders.

She pushed up on her elbows, attempting to slide backward, away from what she thought he was trying to do. “Mitch, you don’t—”

Slapping the side of one bare buttock playfully, he raised his head and gave her a determined, lascivious look. “Hush. This is something else I’ve been dreaming about, and you’re going to let me. All you have to do is lie back and enjoy.”

The first touch of his mouth on her warm, swollen flesh set off bursts of color behind her closed eyelids. Her fingers curled in the sheets on either side of her hips as she panted in pure, unadulterated pleasure.

His tongue licked, stroked, flickered and swirled. He started slowly, then sped up, bringing her to the precipice of climax before slowing down again and making her whimper.

When he began to concentrate on the tiny bud of desire buried within her slick folds, she didn’t even try to hold back but let the sensations overtake her.

Her body bowed, lifting off the mattress for several long seconds before her bones melted like hot candle wax and she slumped back down. She was breathing hard, amazed that she’d managed to remain conscious.

Mitch pushed himself up, a smug, self-satisfied smile curling the corners of his mouth. “Can I take that to mean you enjoyed yourself?”

She made a noise that might have been a laugh, but even she wasn’t sure. Grabbing him by the ears, she yanked him up until they were once again face-to-face. “Shut up and kiss me, you big jerk.”

His chuckle of amusement was swallowed by her lips. She tasted herself on his tongue and moaned, letting her hands drift down his sides and between their sweat-slick bodies. Her fingers closed around his stiff, pulsing member and it was his turn to gasp and writhe.

She teased him, running her hand back and forth, squeezing, skimming the pad of her thumb over his sensitive, dew-kissed tip.

Finally, he grabbed her wrist, putting a halt to her erotic ministrations. “That’s enough, I can’t take anymore.”

“You did it to me,” she shot back.

“Yeah, but I can’t recover as quickly as you can, and I want to be inside you when I come.”

With that, he got to his knees and sat back on his haunches, pulling her up with him. She was poised directly over his rampant erection, and as she crossed her legs behind his back, she slipped down, taking him into her eager, waiting body.

They both sighed at the glorious friction their joining created, remaining still for a moment to let the ecstasy pour through them. And then his hands closed on her buttocks. He lifted her slowly and she watched a muscle in his jaw jump at the same time the muscles in his arms rippled and bulged.

He let her down slowly, only to lift her again, then let her down. Over and over until her limbs quivered, her belly contracting with the anticipation of what was to come.

She dug her nails into the meat of his shoulders as her inner sheath tightened around him with the first signs of orgasmic spasms. Mitch’s lips peeled back from his teeth, telling her he wasn’t far behind. With her heels digging into the mattress, she rose and fell on him faster and faster, while his hips tilted to meet her thrust for thrust.

In a flash, the building pressure reached its limit and spilled over. Beneath her, he tensed and gave a low growl of completion. A second later, she followed him over the edge with a keen cry of her own.

For long minutes, they stayed that way, the sounds of their ragged breathing filling the room. Then he circled her waist with one arm and carefully lowered her back to the mattress.

She almost groaned in disappointment when he slipped out of her, but he quickly rolled to his side, drew the covers up over them both and hugged her close.

Feeling happier than she had since the first time he’d proposed, she fell asleep cocooned in his warmth, wishing she could whisper the three words singing through her soul.

I love you.

The moment Emma opened her eyes early the next morning, she knew something was radically different. It took a few seconds for the fog to clear from her brain and the previous night’s events to come flashing back.

As soon as they did, a wide smile split her face and she started to stretch. This was what she’d expected marriage to be. This was how she’d wanted to feel on her wedding night and every day thereafter.

“It’s about time you woke up.”

The low, rumbled voice near her ear made her jump. Only then did she feel the strong male forearm around her waist as Mitch drew her back against his chest, which vibrated with laughter.

“I expected you’d be out at the barn by now,” she said, tipping her head until his face came into view. His gray eyes sparkled and a dark shadow lined his tanned jaw.

“I thought about it but couldn’t seem to drag myself out of bed without you.”

Goose bumps broke out along her skin at his words. This was a side of him she’d never seen before, playful and romantic.

“Won’t the cows get hungry without you?”

He chuckled. “Nah. I’ve got hired hands to pick up the slack.”

She rolled the rest of the way around, mimicking his position of propping her head on one bent arm. Beneath the covers, their legs rubbed together and she could feel her blood begin to heat.

“Does that mean you’re taking the day off to stay in bed and satisfy your sorely neglected wife?”

One black eyebrow winged upward. “After last night, can you really say you’ve been neglected?”

“No, I suppose not.” Her cheeks heated at the memory of the things they’d done together each of the three times they’d awakened throughout the night. “But if you abandon me now, I might.”

His hand moved from the small of her back to the curve of her bottom and he pulled her close so she could feel his arousal growing between them.

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”

His kiss set off brush fires in her bloodstream and it was a long, long time before either of them made any attempt to get out of bed.

Hours later, they were downstairs. Showered, dressed and full from a quick brunch that they’d prepared together between feather-light touches and lingering kisses.

Mitch’s hand enfolded hers on the table all the while they ate, and then, after his last sip of coffee, he gave a heavy sigh and pushed back his chair.

“As much as I hate to, I really should go out and check on things. Would you mind?”

The way he’d been acting since last night, she wished he would stay with her forever. Right there, touching her, kissing her, looking at her with such attentive devotion in his storm-dark eyes.