NoRegretsColeNC (12 page)

“What makes you think that?” Willie
winked at her. “I might enjoy having you here well into the wee hours.”

She wasn’t sure where the conversation
was going, but she knew it was headed in a dangerous direction. Quickly, she
grabbed the dinner box. It was still fairly warm to her touch.

“We’d better enjoy these meals now,
don’t you think?
Before the food goes cold.”
She
ripped the string from the first box. “Here, I’ll do the serving.” Keeping busy
would help her keep her wits, she hoped.

While she ladled the meat, onions, and
potatoes onto their plates, Willie grabbed some strange-looking contraption and
used it to pull the cork from the wine bottle. It made a loud, popping noise.
She jumped and let out a gasp.

“Settle down,” he said in a gentle
voice. “You’re too nervous. A glass of wine is just what you need. It will help
you relax.” He picked up a chipped crystal goblet and filled it.
 

“I’ve never had wine before.” Hattie
stared at the glass he handed her. “Will it make me…drunk?”

“Not a single glass. Just sip it
slowly. Savor it.”

His eyes dared her again. Determined to
rise to each challenge, she lifted her chin.
“All right, yes.
I will.” She would savor the wine, and she would savor these moments, fully
enjoying this audacious, enchanted evening with Willie.

To her
delight, the simple meal proved delicious, and Willie kept her entertained with
witty stories as they dined. The wine teased her tongue with sweet, tingling
sensations.

“This
is good,” she told him with a smile, not even hesitating when he refilled her
glass. He’d promised, after all, to be a perfect gentleman, had assured her
when she’d accepted the invitation that he would not take advantage of her. She
trusted him fully.

“Now, I
have a surprise for you,” Willie said after they’d finished their meal. He rose
and held out his hand. “Come with me.”

When
she took hold of his hand, he led her from the table, but there was nowhere to
go, and nowhere to sit but on his bed. Although she did as he asked and sat
beside him, apprehension gnawed at her.

“A
surprise?”
She bit her lip, unable to remember ever having any
good
surprises. Whenever something caught her off guard, it always
proved something dreadful.

“Don’t
look so worried. Surprises can be very pleasant. At least, I hope this one is.”
His brow furrowed as though he were suddenly concerned. “I do hope you like it,
Hattie,” he said. He reached out, opened the drawer of the nightstand and took
out a small package wrapped in white tissue and tied with a bright red string.

She
stared at his outstretched offering. Had it been a rattlesnake coiled to
strike, she couldn’t have been more wary. Although her heart raced, her head
warned her to be cautious. Willie Morse had no reason to give her a gift. Miss
Brundage
, the headmistress at the Female Academy in Denver
had, in fact, issued severe warnings about accepting gifts from men.

“They
use trinkets and shiny baubles to lure unsuspecting young women into their
lairs,” the spinster had said. “Such tricks are preludes to attempts at
seduction. Don’t be foolish enough to fall for the ploy.”

Hattie
swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept anything from you.”

A
crest-fallen expression appeared on his face.

“Please,
Hattie. It’s not much, really.
Nothing fancy or fine.
Just a small token of friendship.”

She
blushed, realizing how quickly she’d drawn the wrong conclusion. She and Willie
were friends, nothing more. He wasn’t out to seduce her.

But he kissed me at the creek.
He told me I was pretty.

Maybe
the drink was going to her head, or maybe it was just being so close to Willie
that left her suddenly bewildered. Worse, he’d aroused not only those same
heart-pounding sensations she’d felt before, but her curiosity as well. She was
dying to know what token of friendship he’d tucked away inside the little
gift-wrapped box.

“You
don’t need to ply me with presents to gain my friendship,” she pointed out.
“It’s not necessary.”

Willie
turned to face her. The bed creaked with his weight. “There’s more to it,
Hattie,” he said. “Let me explain.”

Her
heart squeezed inside her chest.
More to it
,
indeed.
Just as Miss
Brundage
had warned.
Hattie jumped to her feet—not a wise thing to do after drinking several full
glasses of wine. How many times had Willie refilled her glass? Dizziness forced
her to sit down again. Her head was spinning, or was it the room that was
spinning around her? She tried to focus on Willie. He seemed to be spinning,
too.

“Are
you all right?” He peered intently at her.

She
hiccoughed. “Yes, I think so. Yes, I am.
 
I’m sure of it.” She forced her thoughts
back to the present moment and to the enticing little gift
tied
with that bright red ribbon. “I know it’s wrong of me to accept a gift, but I’m
going to do it anyway. I don’t understand, though, why you did this.”

“I did
it for your birthday, Hattie.”

She
hiccoughed again.
“My birthday?
You know I don’t have
one.
Not a real one, anyway.”

“I’m
giving you one. That’s what this is all about. That’s why I invited you over.”

“You
invited me over to share
your
birthday.”

“Yes.
We’ll share the date. We’ll celebrate together.” He bent toward her. “If you
don’t know when your real birthday is, you can choose to celebrate whenever you
want, and I’d be honored, Miss Richards, if you’d share my birthdate. I’d be
honored, too, to have you accept this gift.”

“Nobody
has ever done anything like this before.” Emotions rushed through her. She
wanted to laugh with some crazy sort of happiness, but she felt like crying,
too, from the sheer joy of it.
A birthday.
And a birthday gift.
For her!

With
trembling, clumsy fingers, she snatched the gift from Willie’s hand and
giggled.

“It’s
really not much,” he said again.

Chapter Nine

“Whatever
it is, I’m sure I’ll find it lovely.” She pushed the ribbon away, tore off the
wrapping and, before lifting the lid, drew in a deep breath. Ever so slowly,
she pried the top up just enough to peek inside. She shut it again and looked
up at Willie, puzzled by the odd contents. “It’s quite lovely. But, what is
it?”

He
laughed. “If you don’t know what it is, or what it’s for, I’m not sure how you
can find it so lovely.”

“It’s
got a little piece of feather, I see.” She opened it slightly and peeked again,
unsure whether or not she should actually remove the lid. “I do think feathers
are lovely.”

“It’s a
trout-fishing fly.”

“A
fly?”
Hattie
gasped, dropping the box. The lid came off, and out rolled the feathery little
creature of some sort. “It’s alive?”

“No.
It’s a lure—”

“Just
like Miss
Brundage
warned!” Her gasp grew louder.
“But it’s not at all what I’d expect.”

“Miss
Brundage
?
The headmistress at that girls’
school?”

Hattie
nodded. “Not a mere girls’ school. A female academy,” she explained. “She said
men gave gifts for one reason only, and that’s to lure innocent girls to their
bed.”

“It’s a
lure for catching fish, Hattie.”

Again,
she’d spouted off and made herself sound foolish.

“Yes,
of course,” she said.
“For trout.”

“I
thought we might go fishing again someday.”

“And if
we did, would you kiss me again?” Where had that question come from?

“I’d
like to.” Willie moved closer. “In fact, I’d like to kiss you right now.”

“Would
you…please?”

Hattie
refused to think of all the reasons why she shouldn’t have come to Willie’s
room, why she shouldn’t be sitting on the edge of his bed, and most of all why
she shouldn’t be letting him hold her in his arms and kiss her. She knew right
from wrong, had always been a decent young woman who followed all the rules and
did what was expected of her. For once, she wanted to make her own rules and do
what
she
wanted. And at that moment,
there was nothing she wanted more than to be right where she was, enjoying
Willie’s thrilling kisses.

She
might regret it later, but…

No. No regrets. We agreed.

She
pushed aside any thoughts of tomorrow and what it might bring. For tonight, she
would live fully, and always she would have these precious moments to remember.

Letting
out a slow breath, she let go, too, of all her inhibitions. The last of her
restraint slipped away as she gave herself up to the pleasure of Willie’s
embrace. His strong arms made her feel warm, secure, and
loved
in a way she’d never known before. For the first time ever,
she was truly
wanted,
she was someone whose life
mattered.

She
nearly wept with joy.

But
this was no time for tears. Willie’s mouth pressed against hers, the feel of
his lips hot, demanding, insistent, and inviting all at once. Shivers coursed
through her body as he buried his face against her neck. His strong hands
caressed her back, gliding across the fabric of her gown, his fingers kneading
her pliant, willing flesh.

Hattie
gasped when Willie’s tongue parted her lips and slipped inside her mouth. Miss
Brundage
had spoken of such despicable acts, but it didn’t
feel as though she were being abused, or
plundered
,
as the old spinster had taught. Instead, it felt like heaven. A slight moan
slipped from her lips as his tongue teased hers. Boldly, she followed with
provocative thrusts of her own. Her actions caught Willie by surprise which
only added to her growing excitement.

Willie
needed her. That’s what he’d told her over and over. She understood now what
he’d meant. He needed her not merely as a young nurse looking after a patient’s
care. He needed more than her pleasant smile and cheery words. He needed
her
…being with her, sharing
himself
with her, trusting her. He’d invited her to his room
tonight precisely because of that, and his actions clearly showed how much he
enjoyed her company. They stopped for breath, pulling away, panting,
staring
into each other’s eyes. Willie’s pupils were black
holes in the dim light.

“Do you
really like me?” Hattie asked.

“Of
course I like you.”

“Does
that mean you care about me?”

“What
sort of question is that?” His whispered words grazed her cheeks. “Yes, Hattie,
I care about you. I want you. I need you.” Drawing her close again, he silenced
her with more kisses.

Hattie
pulled away from his embrace, lay back on the bed, and gazed up into his eyes.
She saw warmth, she saw desire, and was there something more? Could that be a
look of genuine love shining from his countenance?

“I
think I need you, too.” She didn’t understand the crazy feelings swirling
around inside her muddled head. All she knew was that she loved being there
with Willie, loved all he was making her feel. Not just wanted. Not just
needed. Willie made her feel
valued.

Bending
over her, he framed his face with his big hands. “Do you know what you’re
saying?”

Probably
not.
Hattie
couldn’t think, couldn’t put enough words together to answer his question. She
moved her head slightly, first one direction, then the other. Even something
so
simple as a gesture eluded her now. All her thoughts and
feelings spun together. Delightful currents of pure pleasure eddied through her
body like ripples spreading across the surface of the lake.

“Maybe
I should see you home,” he suggested. He turned away.

“No, I
want to stay here.” Scrambling from the bed, she grabbed hold of him. “I have
to stay here. If you take me back, I’ll have to make up some lie about why I
came home, and—” She hiccoughed, put a hand to her mouth, and grinned. “I’d
have to tell the doctor and his wife that I’ve been drinking. I don’t think they’d
approve.”

How
she’d ever managed to get all those words out, Hattie didn’t know. They’d come
tumbling out when she opened her mouth, and she wasn’t quite sure even what
she’d said. But it didn’t matter, really.

“You’ve
had too much to drink.” Willie frowned at her. “I’m sorry, Hattie. I should
have realized you’d never had wine before.”

“I’m
fine.” She made an attempt to square her shoulders. “Don’t take me home. I want
to stay here. I like being with you, Willie.”

“Do
you, really? Why?”

She
nodded. Her head had cleared a little. Standing on her feet seemed to make it
easier to think straight. “You make me feel good, Willie. Good about myself, I
mean. Nobody has ever made me feel important, or that my life mattered. I’ve
always been unloved, unwanted, always…”

“Hush,
Hattie Mae.” His arms were around her at once.

In that
moment, she knew why she’d come and never mind that it was wrong for her to be
there. For all his faults, Willie had
a goodness
to
him. Maybe no one else could see it, but she’d witnessed it in so many things
he did, so many things he said. If she believed in him—and she did—in time he
might come to believe in himself, too.

But
such thoughts were too deep for her mind at that moment. She let them recede
into some dark place where they could lie quietly at rest. Tomorrow she might
take them out again and ponder them a bit.
Or if not tomorrow
perhaps the following day.
Or…another time.

Yes,
another time.

At that
moment, she wanted only to think of Willie, to think—no, to feel—the tickling, tingling,
teasing sensations of all those precious little kisses he was trailing over her
cheeks, her throat, and her shoulders.

Hattie
reached up to push the neckline of her dress down lower, giving his mouth more
room to play as the kisses grew hotter. Gracious, but she’d never felt anything
so delightful. She leaned back and sighed.

She was
not supposed to let this happen. According to the rules, she should be pushing
him away. She should sit, pull her dress back up properly, and then get to her
feet and dash madly toward the door. Most likely a few well-chosen words about
loutish behavior should also be uttered.

Miss
Brundage
had made it clear that no decent girl would ever
tolerate such filthy, disgusting acts as those in which Hattie now found
herself engaged. Most definitely no girl would ever encourage such a thing.

For
once, Hattie wasn’t going to follow the rules. Instead, she nestled closer as
Willie gathered her into his arms.

He
liked her. He wanted her. Heaven help her, but he thought she was pretty.

Those
thoughts careened through her head, making her feel as though she were the most
beautiful woman in the world, at least in Willie’s eyes, and what else
mattered? She wanted to show him how happy he made her feel. She wanted to
please him, to thank him for all the joy he’d brought into her life.

When
his hand strayed to the bodice of her gown, she drew in a breath. How would it
feel if he touched her…there? Desperate to know, she reached up. Her fingers
fumbled at the lacy ribbons. Now he touched her breast through the sheer fabric
of her chemise. When his thumb grazed over a hard, swollen nipple, Hattie’s
body nearly rocketed skyward like some wild firecracker on the Fourth of July.

“Wait,
wait.” The words came out in a whispered rush of breath.

She
must
discover more of these incredible
feelings,
must
know how it would feel
to have him stroke her flesh. Hattie’s hand trembled as she untied the
drawstring of her chemise and tugged it downward, leaving her shoulders and her
breasts
bare
to his touch.

Would
he look at her? Would he like what he saw?

Glancing
down, Hattie stared at her own full breasts, astonished by the sight of the
hard, pink nipples. A soft sheen covered her skin, making it shimmer in the
lamplight. She reached for Willie’s hand.

“Touch
me. Kiss me.”

Willie
lowered his head, eagerly accepting her invitation.

Her
brazen behavior thrilled Hattie. She held her breath, as Willie’s lips touched
the sensitive tips of her breasts. When his mouth closed over one aching
nipple, she sighed at the unbelievable sensations.

“Yes, I
like that. Oh, yes,
do that
again,” she crooned.

Willie
did not hesitate, sucking at the nipple with gentle motions that left her
gasping at the sheer pleasure of it. Waves of joy rippled through her, moving
from her breasts to someplace deep within.

She
pressed herself against Willie, elated to feel that wondrous, hard part of his
anatomy she’d heard so much about. Her entire body now seemed to ache with a
strange longing she couldn’t describe. Feeling that hardness excited her, made
her body writhe against his in some desperate desire to fill the emptiness
inside of her.

“Do
that more.” Willie’s words sounded hoarse.

Pleased
that he liked what she was doing, Hattie quickly obeyed. At once, his shaft
grew bigger and harder. Hattie gasped, stunned at the feeling that she held some
mystical power, that she could make this strange occurrence happen.

She
wanted to touch him. She
must
touch
him. Her hands moved down, then closed around his swollen member. Hattie knew
Willie wanted to make love to her. Her own inhibitions had vanished, although
she couldn’t remember precisely when, but what difference did it make? They
were gone, she was free, and she intended to fully enjoy every moment of this
incredible new experience she and Willie shared.

“I want
to feel you,” she whispered. “Naked, I mean.”

“Not
yet.” His hot breath quivered against her cheek. “Just be still.”

Unsure
what he meant to do but wanting only to please him, Hattie nodded. She lay
quietly on his bed as he slowly removed each piece of clothing she wore. He
hovered over her, gazing upon her body with a look of reverence.

Never
had Hattie felt so beautiful, so wanted.

She
would remember this moment always.

Suddenly,
Willie’s fingers slid up her legs, slipped between her thighs, and pushed deep
inside her hot, wet center.

“Oh, my
goodness, that feels…so good.”

He
smiled down at her. Hattie closed her eyes as he began to stroke, gently at
first, then gradually increasing in urgency. Panting, breathless for more, she
clutched at him, her body rocking back and forth in a rhythmic demand for
release.

What
was she supposed to do now?