Bound by Trust (14 page)

After
watching the seemingly endless flat lands breeze by the windows and driving for
ten hours, they finally stopped in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to rest. Madi had
never been on such a long road trip in her life and wondered how Rafe stood it
being so far away from his family all the time. Completely exhausted, she
dragged her bag to the room followed by Rafe and his bag. While she took a hot
shower, he went down the street to the closest take out place to get their
dinner, but if she had her way he would forget about dinner when he got back
and have her instead.

Knowing
he was concerned that they were too focused on having a baby she had decided
that this trip would be dedicated to rekindling the fun part of the process.
Showered, she rummaged through her bag and retrieved the slinky piece of
lingerie Meredith had helped her pick out at that naughty store of hers before
they’d left and slipped it on. The sheer ivory bodice barely concealed her rosy
nipples. The three ties down the front would give Rafe easy enough access to
her breasts, while the sheer panties boasted ties on the sides for easy
removal. Lastly, she carefully pulled on the matching thigh-high stockings and
secured them to the garter belt around her waist. Once she was dressed she
sprayed on some new perfume she’d found at the Estee Lauder counter at the
exchange. The woman had claimed it was guaranteed to drive a man wild. The last
thing she pulled out of her bag was a bottle of oil that was supposed to
enhance both of their pleasure according to the package. Not that pleasure was
a problem for them, but she figured a little adventure never hurt anyone.
Meredith had tried to get her to buy something much more exotic, but she didn’t
think she was quite ready for the medieval-looking orgasm-inducing device. Even
though she’d grown fond of their ever increasing scarf collection, she
definitely was not in the market for a riding crop. So, she opted to start
small and purchased the oil.

With
a few candles lit around the room, the lights out, and Kenny G playing in the
background she pulled the sheets back and struck a seductive pose just in time
to hear his key jiggling in the door.

Unaware
that he was walking into a sexual ambush, Rafe tossed the bags containing their
dinner on the desk in the corner, took his hat off, setting it on top of the
television stand next to it, and sat in a chair to start taking off his boots.
It was in the midst of toeing off the second one that he raised his head as if
suddenly aware of the candlelight and music. He looked around and saw Madi
lying across the bed, froze, then smiled. Without a word he finished taking off
his boots, pulled his shirt off, and approached the bed. Standing beside it
with his one hand on his hip, he rubbed his forefinger across his upper lip. He
turned up one corner of them and looked down at her.

“I
think I have the wrong room,” he told her. “My wife was wearing a pair of jeans
and a purple plaid shirt when I left.”

“Well,
if you stay and play, I won’t tell her,” Madi purred.

She
rose to her knees and crept over to the edge of the bed, ran her hands up his
chest, then razed him with her nails back down his ripped stomach to the waistband
of his jeans. Slowly she unbuckled his belt, unzipped his jeans, and pushed
them down far enough to reveal his quickly swelling cock. Leaning into him, she
ran her tongue the length of it, causing him to stiffen further and the head to
tap his abdomen. She conjured up an innocent look and took him in her fist.
After several slow strokes up and down, she held him at his base and took him between
her lips, running her mouth down as far as she could take him until he hit the
back of her throat.

Rafe
released a low growl and took her head in one of his palms, watching her
consume him fully. He hissed as she came back up, using her teeth to gently
tease his rippled flesh, stopping to run her tongue over the sensitive back
side of his tip. His groin tightened and he knew if she took this much further,
she’d be doing more than just sucking him. He wound her hair around his hand
and pulled her off him, seeing she looked disappointed.

“Weren’t
you enjoying that?” She licked her lips, emphasizing her joy with doing it.

“Yes,
very much, but you’ve become way too skilled at it for your own good.” He
finished stripping and joined her on the bed.

On
their knees their mouths met in a heated exchange of tongues and Madi felt him
pulling the ties holding her negligee together, undoing them one by one. He
slid his hands underneath the nearly invisible fabric to take her breasts in
his palms and squeeze them, rolling her nipples between his thumbs and
forefingers bringing them to tight, pebbly peaks. Then he released them and
leaned down to take first one, then the other in his mouth, sliding his warm,
moist tongue over the sensitive puckers of flesh. She never grew tired of his
attention to her breasts, each time he gave them his undivided focus, he sent invisible
flames flitting along her skin, from her stomach to her toes. He eased her back
on the bed and straddled her, taking her head in his hands and running his
tongue along the base of her neck, eliciting a gasp from her and causing her to
grow wet. Moving down her body, yet still holding her hostage beneath his
weight, he ran sizzling kisses down her belly ending at her hip where her
panties were secured with more ties. He took the silky string in his teeth and
pulled it, then moved to the other side and repeated the process releasing the
flimsy fabric. With his hand, he pulled the material down in front and ran his
fingers over her apex, parting her throbbing lips and pushing his thumb knuckle
upward over her clit, smiling at the groan she sent into the air at his touch.

“Tell
me what you want,” he breathed into her ear before taking the lobe between his
teeth.

“I
want you inside me.”

“Turn
over.”

He
moved off her and pulled a pillow down from the top of the bed. On her hands
and knees, braced on the pillow for support, she spread her legs and felt the
tip of his erection brushing against her. Reaching between them, he ran his
fingers over her again causing her to tingle and ache for him.

“Please,
Rafe, I need you,” she moaned.

“Give
me your hand, Madi.”

Hesitantly,
she pushed her arm underneath her and put her hand out for him to guide. She
felt something warm being spread across her fingers and knew he’d found the
bottle of oil, then he placed her fingers over her clit and with his hand over
hers showed her how to circle herself the way he had so many times. Losing herself
in the feeling of him pleasuring her in tandem with her own hand, she barely
noticed him leave her hand and slip his fingers inside her until a wave of heat
emanated from his contact with her and she hesitated.

“Don’t
stop, Madi, I want to watch.”

She
closed her eyes and ran her fingers over her sweet spot again and felt him pull
her legs apart further giving him better access.

He
withdrew his fingers from her and eased his cock inside her slowly until he was
in her completely. Then, watching her fingering herself, he eased back out
until only the very tip was seated in her warm folds.

“That’s
it, sweetheart, make yourself feel good,” he said, plunging back inside her
forcefully and torturously pulling out slowly again.

As
she began to moan and push back against him, he increased his pace, holding her
open, letting her engulf him to the hilt. With his hands firmly on her ass
cheeks, he pulled her over him, meeting her desperate strokes as she began to
beg for release.

With
her belly coiled in a tight knot, she clenched around Rafe and pushed into him
as hard as she could, her need to go over the edge more desperate than it ever
had been. Too weak to hold herself up any longer, she quit running her fingers
around her clit and collapsed on her elbows. He picked up where she left off,
flitting a tight circle around her, sending sparks outward from that spot up
her stomach and down her legs, followed by a molten fire. Rising up to almost
sitting astride him, she put her hands over his and cried out. As the wave of
contractions subsided, she felt him tighten within her and with one final
thrust he groaned and pitched her forward, driving as far as he could go,
calling her name as he contracted repeatedly. Sitting back on his heels, he
held her atop him with his hands covering her breasts, kissing her back. Then
with his arm around her waist, he lowered them both to the bed and nestled her
in the crook of his arm.

Chapter 12

With
just a few hours left on their journey to Big Sandy, Madi discovered that
apparently the only thing that would make it across the airwaves at such a
steep altitude was sappy country tunes. And much to her horror, Rafe knew the
words to every single one of them.

“Dear
Lord, husband.” She clapped her hands over her ears. “Is that the only thing
there is to listen to in this state?”

“No,
but I opted not to have satellite radio when I bought this truck so this is
what we’re stuck with.” He pushed his hat back and rubbed his eyes, then boosted
the cruise control up a few notches.

“What
are you trying to do, get a ticket? I’m sure your command would love to see an
MP’s name on the blotter tomorrow morning.” She drew her legs up under her and
began tinkering with the radio knob, looking for anything besides another
crying in my beer, cheating song. Even a talk show would top that.

“As
long as we have daylight, there is no speed limit on this highway. And quite
frankly, wife, I’m getting tired.” As if to prove his point he yawned.

“Well,
maybe next time we should fly.” She finally gave up and shut the radio off.

“What
and miss out on the scenery?” He waved a hand toward the windshield.

He
was right of course, Madi had never seen landscape so beautiful anywhere else
she’d ever been. The gentle rolling green pastures were filled with a veritable
pallet of wildflowers in every color imaginable and the mountains only served
to emphasize the natural splendor of the place. And the smell was incredible,
so fresh she’d swear there wasn’t a pollutant for literally miles and miles.
She could completely understand why he would want to come back here when he was
finished doing his duty to God and country. In fact, she was fast falling in
love with it herself.

Seeing
how tired he really was getting, she decided to entertain him herself with a
stirring rendition of
When You’re Good to
Mama
from Chicago followed by
Tomorrow
from Annie.

“So,
why is it you’ve never expressed your love for me through song before?” Rafe
scooted around in his seat.

“I’m
full of surprises. You should hear me yodel.” Madi filled her lungs as if she
meant to demonstrate then burst out laughing at the shocked look on his face.
“I’m teasing, I am a terrible yodeler, in fact, I failed Yodeling 101.”

“Please
tell me you’re kidding on that part, too.” Rafe cast her a half-smile.

“Oh
no, that class was hard to get into, I still have a big fat F on my permanent
record from never being able to get back in it.” She feigned the most serious
face she could muster before bursting out in loud laughter again.

After
they stopped laughing, he reached over and took her hand. “So, what else can
you sing?”

With
the wind whipping a few strands of her ponytail around her face, she cleared
her throat and an almost ethereal, spine-tingling, sorrowful noise came forth,
as she gave voice to an ages-old Gaelic love song in the native tongue of the
Scottish Isles. Sometimes Rafe wondered if he would ever know everything there
was to know about Madi.

It
was past nine when Rafe finally pulled off the main highway, drove down a long,
bumpy dirt road which, after nearly an hour, led them to an expansive two-story
log home. It had an enormous rock chimney, a porch that wrapped around three
sides of it, covered with hanging baskets of flowers Madi didn’t even
recognize, and floor-to-ceiling windows on both floors.

“Well,
this is it.” Rafe put the truck in park and turned off the engine. “What do you
think?”

“I
didn’t know people still lived like Grizzly Adams. But I think I could become
accustomed to it, as long as you don’t grow one of those long mountain man
beards and start wearing flannel shirts.” She flashed him her smart ass smile
and giggled.

“Very
funny. If I weren’t so damn tired, I’d club you and drag you to my cave.”

“Ooohh,
I’m terrified. What, there isn’t a piano here to ambush me under?”

Rafe
jerked off his seatbelt and climbed over the center of the seat, mashing her
against her door, and took her mouth, running his tongue through her lips and
taking her breath. She gave in to him, and was feeling quite enraptured, when a
sharp pecking on her window sent him off her, jarring his forehead against the
glass with a loud crack.

“Son
of a bitch!”

Rafe
sat back and rubbed the offended spot furiously, as Madi tried to suppress the
giggles erupting from her throat.

“That
doesn’t…feel…too good…does it?” she gasped in between laughs.

“Hell
no.” He was leaning back with his hand still on his head, when whoever had done
the knocking opened his door, and stuck their head in.

Madi’s
eyes were blurred from the tears from laughing so hard, but she could see that
it was a man near Rafe’s age with the same black hair, tanned skin, and dark
eyes.

“Brother,
aren’t you a little old to be making out in the driveway?” he asked, also
holding back a burst of laughter.

“Aren’t
you a little old to be sneaking up on people?” Rafe shot back.

“Karma’s
a bitch, isn’t it, dear?” Madi giggled again.

“So,
you must be my new sister-in-law. I’m Gabe,” he said, sticking his hand out
across Rafe.

“Yes,
I’m guilty,” Madi confessed, taking his hand. “I don’t suppose there’s a
Michael running around here as well.”

“Yes,”
the brothers nearly sighed in unison.

The
house was full of people who had come to spend the night so they could meet
Madi on arrival. There were Rafe’s two brothers, Gabe and Michael, and their
wives, and two of his sisters, Cecile and Rita. Also in attendance were too
many children for Madi to remember the names of so soon. After receiving an
enormous hug from his father, Devin, and his mother, Clare, she was introduced
to his grandmother, Mary. The tiny woman stood about the same height as Madi.
Her long, black hair interspersed with silver streaks was braided and woven in
an enormous bun on the back of her head and her eyes were like raisins in the
middle of a very brown gingerbread. Madi loved her instantly.

It
was well after midnight before the two of them were allowed to go upstairs and
go to bed. Rafe had been right, she did fit in and they seemed to love her.

*
* * *

“Where
are we going?” Madi was hanging on the roll bar over the truck door as they
bounced along the field Rafe had driven off in behind his family’s home. It was
the last day they would spend with his family and he’d insisted on going for a
drive.

“It’s
a surprise, but I think you’ll like it.”

After
driving for what seemed like an hour, but was probably in reality only a few
minutes, he stopped. They were sitting on a ridge overlooking a valley with a
dark blue stream running through it, with the mountains in clear view on the
horizon. He got out of the truck, came around to Madi’s side, helped her down,
and taking her hand, walked to the edge of the overlook.

“So,
what to do you think?” He released her hand and pulled her back against him,
resting his chin on her head.

“It’s
beautiful, Rafe. You brought me all the way out here just to show me this?”

“Well,
I wanted your approval first.”

“Approval
for what?”

“To
build our house here when I finally retire.” He smiled at her and ran his
fingers along her forehead, pushing back a few loose hairs. “So, what do you
think? Will you live here with me and raise cutting horses?”

Madi
turned and looked at him. “You want to raise horses? You never told me that
before.”

“I’ve
always known that’s what I would do when I came back here. I was just fortunate
enough to find someone like you to share that dream with.”

“Yes,
I absolutely will, and snuggle with you through those ferocious winters you’ve
told me about.” Appreciating the overwhelming beauty, she could envision them
living here watching the seasons pass.

“There’s
something else I wanted to talk to you about.” He sounded serious.

His
tone was a bit disconcerting and she felt her heart skipping emphatically.
“Okay, tell me.”

“In
November I’ll be up for promotion to E-8, I’ve opted to go the first sergeant
route this go around. If I make it, I need to know if you want me to re-enlist
and take the promotion, or if you want me to retire and call it quits.”

Madi
took a breath and let it out slowly. It was the talk of all talks he needed to
have with her. Their fate lay at her feet awaiting a decision.

“What
do you want to do?” She put the ball back in his court.

“I
want to do what will make you happy.”

“Rafe,
marriage is a two-way street, it can’t be just about what makes me happy.” She
pulled away and walked a few feet off with her hands on her lower back. “I
can’t ask you to quit doing what you love because I might be afraid of the
what-ifs. I never asked Gage to choose me over his career and I won’t do that
to you either.”

“If
I make it then it means we’ll have to move.”

“Where?”

“I’m
not sure, but there’s a strong possibility it will be the East Coast, and I’ll
go back to Iraq or Afghanistan within a few months of getting there.”

She
hugged herself and kicked a dirt clod with the toe of her boot. Remembering all
she had told Liz a few weeks ago, she knew it was time to wife up, as it were.

“Okay.
I’ll support you in this, Rafe. It doesn’t mean I won’t worry, but I’ll back
you a hundred percent.”

“You’re
sure?”

“Yes,
I’m sure.” She swallowed back a lump that was forming as she realized she’d
jumped off another cliff with him.

*
* * *

With
the chill of fall in the air, Madi helped her sister zip up her tea-length,
white wedding gown in the bride’s room at the tiny chapel she and Aiden had
decided to get married in near Branson. Madi had been correct in assuming that
she would change her mind. She and Liz were now standing looking at each other,
wishing they didn’t have to put on the fuchsia bridesmaids’ gowns hanging on
the rod beside the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. They were also
hoping no one had a camera within a mile of the place. But Meredith was happy
and that was all that mattered.

Once
Meredith was zipped up, Madi helped her finish putting her hair in a
complicated twist on top of her head and laced it with baby’s breath. Then she
sat her in a chair with her feet up and applied her make-up.

“You
look stunning,” Liz complimented.

“Are
you sure?” Her voice was rattling with nerves. “I think I look like a cotton
ball with legs.”

“You
look fine, Meredith,” Madi reassured her. “Aiden would take you dressed in a
big black trash bag at this point. Now don’t move while we get dressed.”

Liz
pulled her dress off the hanger and let Madi carefully tip it over her head,
trying not to destroy her up-do in the process. It fell into place and once she
was zipped, she slipped into the matching satin pumps Meredith had asked the
shoe shop to dye for them. Then it was Liz’s turn to help Madi. With the dress
over her head, Liz pulled the zipper and stopped midway.

“What’s
wrong?” Madi asked, turning to look in the mirror. “We had these sized two
weeks ago, it fit then.”

“Well,
hon, you’re going to have to suck it in more than that or produce another inch
or two of this lovely fabric.”

“Hey,
I heard that snide remark, Liz.” Meredith shot from her seat in the rickety
metal chair. “I’m not entirely thrilled with the red dress you have picked out
for me, I’m going to look like a big old tomato in it, come January.”

“Whatever,
Meredith. Right now we have to figure out how to get Madi in this thing.” Liz
tugged at the zipper, trying to get it to go the rest of the way up.

Meredith
pushed herself up and waddled over. With her holding the sides together, Liz
tugged again on the zipper with more fervor than before and got it to move
another inch or two.

“My
God, Madi, what have you been eating, anyway?” Meredith accused. “I’ve never
seen anyone gain that much weight in a few weeks unless they are…”

“What?”
Madi countered. “What were you going to say, a big old pig?”

“No,
I was going to say, unless they’re pregnant.”

“Well,
wrong again, little sister; I still haven’t managed to accomplish that feat.”
Madi crossed her arms under her breasts and huffed. “So what do we do about
this damn dress?”

“Liz,
go get Mama,” Meredith ordered.

When
she was gone, Meredith looked at Madi. “Now, are you sure you’re not pregnant?”