Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series) (40 page)

             
“Why’d you stop?” Cade asked her.

             
“I just wondered if you’d let me get away with it and what tonight’s rules are; I hadn’t thought about it beyond that,” her cheeks were pink.

             
She watched Cade smile.

             
“You’re funny, Manny,” he reached for her and pulled her back close. Amanda sank against him, his hands were caressing her hips and her legs had just turned to mush.

             
He kissed her deeply and it suddenly wasn’t enough for her, she tugged impatiently at his shirt and he paused to pull it off for her; he pulled his belt off and tossed it onto his dresser as well. She watched impatiently as he removed his boots. Her nerves seemed to have fled, at least mostly. Cade reached for the hem of the shirt she wore and pulled it off and Amanda felt her nerves return with a vengeance. Her hands fluttered, her reflex to cover herself before she forced herself to stand, her hands at her sides as she fidgeted with her finger nails. She couldn’t meet Cade’s glance and she could feel the heat climbing into her cheeks.

             
“You okay?” Cade’s eyes were soft and concerned when she glanced up.

             
“Yeah,” she nodded breathlessly.

             
“You can walk anytime, Manny; you say the word and we stop,” Cade told her.

             
“No,” Amanda shook her head. “No!” she repeated more forcefully and made herself meet his intense gaze. He reached for her and she jumped slightly as he pulled her close.

             
“You sure?” he was cupping her jaw and caressing her ear lobe.

             
“Positive,” she nodded. Cade kissed her and a moment later lifted her to lay her on the bed.

             
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

Twenty-Three

             
Amanda lay on her side facing Cade, a sheet pulled tight against her. She knew it was silly to feel the need to cover herself after what they had just done but she couldn’t help it. Cade was already working on uncovering her, though, his fingers trailing up and down her side and pushing the sheet a little further down each time.

             
“You’re quiet,” Cade commented.

             
“I’m not sure what to say,” she admitted.

             
“Disappointed? Wish you hadn’t done it?” he offered possible answers.

             
Amanda smiled. “No and no; you were amazing,” she assured him.

             
“Thank you,” he grinned.

             
“Are you disappointed? I’m the one who doesn’t know what they’re doing,” she reminded him.

             
She watched his eyes darken, his voice soft when he spoke, “No, Amanda, I am not disappointed. That was amazing not because of anything I did because of what we shared. I’ve had sex, Amanda, but that was more than sex.”
              Amanda, feeling herself blush again, smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t turn me down again.”

             
“Me too,” he grinned at her. “Thank you, Manny.”

             
“For what?”

             
“Trusting me.”

             
“You’re welcome?” Amanda smiled at him.

             
“You amaze me, Manny.”

             
“Why? Because I can be so brazen one minute and a complete basket case the minute you have me undressed?” Amanda laughed at herself.

             
“No,” he grinned. He studied her a moment and she watched him frown.

             
“What’s wrong?”

             
“I’m going to ask you a really stupid question, Manny,” he informed her as he reached to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

             
“What’s that?”

             
“Are you on birth control?”

             
“No,” her heart skipped a beat before it started pounding. Her eyes widened. “Look, Cade, don’t worry about it; I mean I don’t expect you to, you know…” Amanda felt panicked. Cade was going to freak out and think she was trying to trap him or something; it had happened to one of her friends.

             
“Damn it, Manny,” Cade leaned over her until she was pinned to the bed. “Expect something of me, expect everything of me; you have every right to!” he said harshly.

             
Amanda blinked at the anger in his tone.

             
“You are not some one night stand you hear me? You’re better than that, Manny; you’re better than that.” The fire out gone out of his eyes; his gaze softened. “I’m sorry if I scared you, Manny. We need to tell your father that we’re dating; you aren’t going to be my guilty pleasure. I don’t want to sneak around to see you; I want to pick you up at your door and show the world that I’m proud to have you on my arm.”

             
Amanda, her throat tight, nodded. For all of their flirting and all the letters sent and phone calls exchanged, she had been afraid to hope for or ask for too much. She had told herself she would take whatever he was willing to give and she would be okay with that. She realized how silly that thought had been; she would never be content with being one of a string of women. Cade had told her as much, she realized.

             
Cade kissed her and then settled on to his back. Amanda rolled until she had him pinned, her knees on either side of him. She leaned over to kiss him, first on the lips and then down his jaw and neck.

             
“What are you doing, Manny?” Cade sounded amused.

             
“Kissing you,” she proceeded to kiss his chest.

             
“That feels nice,” he told her.

             
“Good,” she leaned forward until she was looking him in the eye. He studied her a moment and she felt heat climb into her cheeks.

             
“You know how to do this?” his brow was quirked and mouth tilted in amusement.

             
“No, but you can teach me,” she responded and watched him laugh.

             
___________________________________________

              Amanda, feeling utterly limp all over, lay with her head on Cade’s chest. Relaxed was an understatement of how she felt; more like cooked spaghetti. Cade’s finger’s trailed up and down Amanda’s back, making her feel drowsy.

             
“Amanda?”

             
“Hmmm?”

             
“I have no right to ask this, but if I have to leave here when we talk to your father, will you go with me?” He asked her and continued before she could answer. “I have some money in savings, not as much as I’d like but enough to get started somewhere.”

             
Amanda tilted her head to look up at him where he was looking down at her. “You really think it will come to that?” she asked with a frown.

             
“I’m not sure what to expect from your father,” he admitted. “Your brother will be mad as hell and ready to pound my ass. I’m telling you, Manny; he’s been nearly unbearable since Christy hurt him.”

             
“They’ll get used to it, Cade,” she reassured it.

             
“I hope you’re right, Manny, but if it does come down to that; will you go with me?” his gaze was intense, his expression serious.

             
Amanda studied him a moment and nodded. “Yes, I’ll go with you if it comes to that,” she promised.              

              Amanda woke, feeling disoriented before remembering where she was and smiling. She was in Cade’s bed, wrapped in his arms. Feeling content, Amanda snuggled closer. The clock said it was one a.m. and Amanda knew she should get up and dress before everyone returned; they should be back soon. She was having trouble convincing herself to move. The sound of the door opening below made Amanda sit up.

             
“What is it, baby?” Cade asked her.

             
“My brother is back,” she said as she reached for her clothes only to find they were still soggy. With a grimace she reached for the shirt she had been wearing. This was not how she wanted her father to learn that she and Cade were dating, she mused.

             
“Cade?” Trent called up the stairs. “Have you seen Mandy?”

             
Cade was already standing in his jeans and looking grim. “This is not the best way for this to go down,” he informed Amanda.

             
“I know,” her stomach tied up in knots.

             
Cade opened the door and propped his arm on the frame, just as Trent topped the stairs.

             
“Mandy’s things are on the porch and in her car but everything is locked and we can’t find her. Have you seen her?” Trent queried.

             
Amanda took a deep breath and ducked under Cade’s arm.

             
“I’m right here,” Amanda spoke. She watched the color drain from Trent’s face before it returned in bright splotches, leaving his face mottled.

             
“You son of a bitch,” Trent flung at Cade.

             
“Don’t you talk to him that way!” Amanda ground out.

             
“Get your clothes on, Mandy,” Trent ordered.

             
“I am not a child for you to order around,” she countered.

             
“I suppose you’re going to tell me that this isn’t what it looks like? That you were simply taking a nap?” Trent pinned her with a look that said he almost wished she would say that.

             
“No, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m going to remind you that I am nineteen and that this is one of those decisions you don’t get to make for me,” Amanda informed him.

             
“Trent, I want you to know my intentions…”

             
“Your intentions? I’d say your intentions are clear.”

             
“You are being unfair to Cade,” Amanda accused.

             
“Dad is going to at the very least kick Cade off this ranch, Mandy; are you happy?” Trent speared his sister with a look.

             
“We were going to talk with Dad tomorrow,” she informed her brother.

             
“Trent?” Sterling called from downstairs.

             
“Looks like tomorrow is already here,” Trent smirked.

             
“Has Cade seen her?” Sterling’s voice came closer.

             
Amanda could hear boots on the steps and steeled herself. She knew her Daddy wasn’t going to be happy and probably was going to be hurt at finding her as she was. She would not apologize for falling in love with Cade.

             
Sterling made the top of the stairs; his gaze swept over them. Amanda watched her father’s eyes darken until his pupils disappeared.

             
“Go to the house, Amanda,” he bit the words off.

             
“No, I am not a child and you are going to listen to me!” Amanda argued. She had never openly defied her father before; it made her knees wobble to do so now. 

             
“I can’t look at you like that, Amanda. Go to the house and put some clothes on!”

             
“Daddy, you have to listen to me,” Amanda tried again.

             
“I am not listening to one word you have to say as long as you are dressed like that!” her father yelled at her.

             
Amanda felt tears well in her eyes; they had to listen to her!

             
“Go on, Amanda, let us talk this through, okay,” Cade rubbed her arm lightly. Amanda turned and rose onto her toes to kiss him lightly on the lips, her hand behind his neck. She laid her forehead against his for a moment and then settled back onto her feet.

             
“I’ll be back,” she promised. He nodded, his eyes dark with worry.

             
Amanda, unmindful of the gravel beneath her feet, hurried down the stairs and ran across the drive. She bounded onto the porch, yanked the door open and entered the house. She saw her aunt step from the kitchen, her eyes going wide as she took in Amanda’s appearance. Amanda wasted no time tearing up the stairs to gather her clothing and shut herself into the bathroom to shower. She made herself take several deep breaths. She had to be calm and reasonable if she had any hope of them listening to her. As soon as she was dressed Amanda rushed back down the stairs and spilled onto the porch; she came to an abrupt halt when she found her brother and father talking.