Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) (23 page)

“Keep looking,” she said, shocking him.

His head still bent to the water and his eyes closed, he moved his hand lower and rubbed her stomach before lowering his fingertips to the mound of her womanhood. He pressed his palm between her legs and she gasped.

“It’s not there!”

“Oh, yes it is,” he teased and stood up. “And I’ll prove it to you later.”

Her eyes bright with desire, Kelly rubbed soap onto the now somewhat clean cravat and then put the bar into his outstretched hand. While she washed her own body, he rubbed the bar over his clothing and scrubbed until the last traces of mud were gone.

“William this is such a beautiful place,” she said, scanning around them.

He gazed about too. She was right. In the soft light of the moon, the picturesque view was so serene and peaceful he could almost feel it restoring his soul as he beheld it. And her presence here made the place all the more extraordinary. “Some people look for a beautiful place to make their home. Others, like you, make a place beautiful.”

She shivered at the compliment, or maybe she was chilled? “Are you cold?” he asked.

“No, not any more. It’s actually kind of nice, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is,” he said, never taking his eyes off of hers. He rubbed the soap in his hands until they were slick and then tucked the bar into a pocket. He began to rub her neck, letting his fingers gently glide up and down, up and down, each time descending a little further. When they finally reached her breast, he let his fingers explore, slowly, lightly. The soft mounds and their hard peaks made a hot ache grow inside him.

He felt her quiver and he gazed deep into her glimmering eyes as he rinsed the soap off of her. When he’d finished, she reached up and hauled his head down to her lips with a sense of urgency. He was equally eager to kiss her, and he did, as his hands explored the curves of her back. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear.

She drew a deep breath. “And I love you,” she said and then kissed him again and locked her arms around his waist.

“Are you clean enough? More importantly, am I clean enough?” he asked.

Standing tall, with her hands clasped behind her, just as he had done earlier, she looked him over. Then she circled around him. “I believe you’ll do,” she said and started sprinting toward the cabin. “Don’t forget to fill those buckets with water,” she called
over her shoulder.

She ran like a deer, light and springy on her feet. He wanted to chase after her, but carefully retrieved the buckets instead and then filled them with water from the middle of the stream. He returned to the cabin and, leaving his wet boots outside, brought the water inside. “Do we have any towels?” he asked.

“Yes, I added two to our linens order at the store,” she said. She was already digging around in the bag containing their purchases. “Here they are. They’re small, but they’ll do.” She handed him one of the linen towels.

He took it and started drying her dripping hair. “We can wipe off a little with these and then move over to the fire to finish drying.”

Kelly took her towel and, standing on her tip toes, tried to reach his hair, but soon gave up. “You’re too tall,” she complained.

“We need to get out of these wet clothes,” he said.

Her lids slipped down over her eyes before she said, “I guess you’re right.” She went over to her bag, resting on the floor by the bed, and yanked out a long shift. She turned her back to him and began removing her stays.

“Do you need help?” he volunteered, hoping she did.

“No, I can manage. Go on now. Get out of those wet clothes too.”

William tried not to watch her, but he couldn’t help himself, stealing glances her way as often as he dared. As he was taking off his breeches, he caught a brief glimpse of her bare back side. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Sweet heavens, she was magnificent. The thought of his eyes feasting on her front
side too was nearly overwhelming. He quickly changed into a long dry shirt.

He needed to distract himself and do it quickly or he would risk embarrassing himself or scaring her. He found the wine bottle, unwrapped it, and used his new corkscrew to open it. The shopkeeper had suggested he buy one and while the man wrapped the bottle well for William, explained that the first corkscrews were patterned after a gun worme, a tool with a spiral end used to clean musket barrels or to extract an unspent charge from a gun’s barrel. Now, local blacksmiths made corkscrews because using a cork to stopper a bottle was becoming commonplace.

“I found two cups. They’re on the table, but need to be cleaned,” Kelly called to him. She was now sitting near the fire, combing her hair.

He rinsed the cups well and then wiped them out with one of the towels. After placing another chair beside her, he brought the wine bottle and cups and sat them on the floor in front of the hearth. He poured a cup for Kelly and then gave it to her.

She took the cup with both hands, and studied the wine. “It’s a beautiful color, such a deep rich red,” she said. “If it tastes as good as it looks, it will be a delight.”

“Wine is indeed a luxury, especially on the frontier. I was lucky he had a bottle. Otherwise, we’d be drinking rain water. I did encourage him to procure more.”

After he poured himself some of the wine, he held his cup up. “A toast to our marriage, our new home, and our future.”

“And to your health,” she added.

“And yours.”

She took a tentative sip and with widened eyes said, “That’s
heaven in a bottle.”

He chuckled and took a taste himself. “I would have to agree with you. Perhaps that’s why Christ’s first miracle was making wine for a wedding feast.” In his opinion, fine wine was one of the many ways to experience heaven here on earth.

Tonight she would experience another.

“William, we will be so happy and content here. I know there will be both happy days and bad days, but they will always be good days as long as we’re together. And, I guess they will even be good days when one of us finally passes, because we will have all our happy memories to remember.”

“I look forward to all the memories I haven’t lived yet with you,” he said. “The past is yesterday, our future is tomorrow, but this moment is today. That’s what’s most important.”

She regarded him enigmatically, over the rim of her cup, as though she were letting his words seep into her along with the wine.

They sipped their wine, comfortably enjoying each other’s company, until the bottle was empty and the fire changed to burning embers.

CHAPTER 21

H
er mouth dry, Kelly swallowed and clutched the sheet to her neck as William eased in next to her. Intense emotions whirled within her. But fear was not one of them. This was her hero lying next to her. The man she loved. Her husband.

He sat up, turned his head toward her, and smiled lovingly. A lock of his shiny blonde hair fell in his beautiful eyes. Deftly, he reached down and peeled his long shirt off.

Through the waning light from the hearth, she caught a glimpse of his broad muscled back. His golden skin gleamed in the dim firelight. Before he lowered himself to the bed, he drew the sheet up over both of them.

His nearness and undress was overwhelming. Her heartbeat throbbed wildly in her chest. It was difficult to breathe. Her mind raced, imagining what would happen. She bit down on her lower lip, feeling her insides vibrate. Perhaps it was the wine making her feel so peculiar.

Should she do something? If so, what? She hated being so naïve, feeling so awkward. She wanted to yield to the burning
desire within her, but didn’t quite know how. Her brain raced but she couldn’t think. She felt confused, clouded, drugged again. Earlier that day, he had said he would teach her what she needed to know. So why should she agonize over it now? She guessed it was because she so desperately wanted to please him. Not knowing what else to do, she just smiled nervously in the darkness, anticipating.

Her newly awakened sensuality made her want more of him than those first delightful touches at the creek. Amid the swirling rushing water, he’d made her more comfortable with his antics and good humor. But he had also given her a delicious sample of just what his fingers could do to her.

William drew himself closer to her and picked up a lock of her hair. He caressed it gently and then pulled her over to him, resting her head on his chest and tucking her body against his own. She could feel the movement of his breathing against her cheek and hear his blood pounding through his heart. It beat nearly as fast as her own heart. Yet he exuded an air of calm and confidence.

For a while, he just held her and her heart began to settle down to a more even beat. He seemed to be giving her a few moments to rest. Breathing in his clean scent, she closed her eyes and reveled in the comfort and security of his strong arms. Her own muscles began to relax. The tension in her legs and arms slowly dissolved, and the ache in her lower back, from being horseback most of the day, eased. Soon she felt like she was floating on a wispy cloud. It was heaven in a bed.

He kissed the top of her head affectionately. The gesture was so simple, so pure, so reassuring. Her worries about what she should do next or what was about to happen between them faded.
William was giving her time to become accustomed to his nearness. His mouth grazed her cheek, and he pressed a kiss into her palm, sending a tingle racing up the length of her arm. Then he slipped a hand up her arm, ever so slowly.

She drank in the sweetness of his tenderness. Abruptly, her attraction to him became powerful, compelling. A delightful shiver of wanting ran through her chest and spread downward. Her body suddenly ached for his touch.

Compelled by an irresistible craving for him, she moved her hand across his broad chest and then down his shoulder to the bulge of his upper arm. She could feel the strength of his muscles and the warmth beneath his skin, and it stirred her own desire even more. He was almost hot to the touch. If he was always like this, she would never again be cold in bed. Her own body seemed be heating up too.

Extremely aware of his virile appeal, she found herself fancying a peek under the sheet to see if the rest of him was as impressive as she thought it might be. She lifted the sheet, pretending to pull it over her shoulder and let her gaze quickly swing downward. Her eyes widened and her senses reeled. The glimpse of his magnificent body sent a tremor racing through her. She bit her lip to stifle an outcry of delight.

She wanted him to find her equally desirable. She was not blind to his attraction to her, but she had no idea how she compared to other women. Would he find her equally appealing? Was she too thin? Her breasts too small? She fought against the self-doubt, refusing to succumb to it. As casually as she could manage, she asked, “William do you find me attractive.”

He whispered into her hair, “There’s only one word to describe you, my love.”

“What’s that?”

“Perfect!”

Reaching deep inside of herself for the courage she needed, she sat up, tugged her shift up and over her head, and tossed it to the foot of the bed. Even in the near darkness, she couldn’t miss his obvious examination of her body.

His reaction was swift and he reached for her and pulled her over on top of him.

Their breasts now pressed against one another’s, skin to skin, heart to heart. And his manhood rested against her abdomen. Her self-confidence leapt.

And the growing ache inside her spoke of her own intense desire for him.

Being on top of him gave her a sense of control—she was making love to him! This fueled her courage even more. She lowered her head and kissed him, and then kissed him again, exploring his mouth and lips with her tongue, as he ran his warm hands over her bottom and then back up her back. Then she trailed her lips down to the pulsing hollow at the base of his neck, while he planted soft kisses against the side of her head.

She didn’t know if she was doing this right, but she let her body lead her. She buried her face against the sinuous muscles of his chest, kissing him, while his hands explored the planes of her back and then cupped her bottom. Her skin tingled pleasantly at his touch.

Reclaiming his lips, she gave herself freely to the strange hunger inside her, and let her kisses become more insistent this time. Enjoying herself immensely, she kissed him repeatedly, releasing his lips only long enough for them both to take a few
gasping breaths. Soon her chest was heaving and a sort of wild energy filled her.

“Kelly,” he said and brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. His breath was warm against her face.

She smiled at the sound of her name on his lips. His tone held both reverence and desire.

“Yes, William,” she answered in the dark.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

The question sent a tremor rippling through her.

In answer, she rolled back onto her back and drew him to her.

William could hardly contain his elation. Kelly’s eagerness for love-making was something he’d longed for. But he never anticipated the keen and uninhibited passion he felt from her now.

Loving him with reckless abandon, her kisses sent shock waves through his entire body and left his mouth burning for more. She’d matched the passion of his kisses with her own intensity—each kiss more urgent and exploratory than the last.