Easing over, she snuggled against him, placing her head in the hollow of his shoulder. He brought his arm around her, holding her tenderly.
When she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of him holding her like this every night for the remainder of her years.
Chapter Twelve
“Did you kill Berringer?”
By the time Rawley and Faith got to the house, Dallas was in his office, looking over some papers. Faith had joined her mother and Callie for breakfast, but Rawley had needed a word with Dallas first.
The man who had raised him leaned back in his chair, planted his elbow on its arm, and stroked his forefinger along his mustache. “She told you.”
Rawley gave a brusque nod and repeated his question. “Did you kill him?”
Dallas got up, walked to the marble-topped table, lifted a decanter, and poured whiskey into two glasses. In spite of the early hour, Rawley took the one Dallas offered him.
“He was still breathing when I left him. Barely.” He downed the contents. “Don’t think I wasn’t tempted to put a bullet in him. Instead, I told him if I ever saw him in these parts again, I would. I let him ride out.”
“Do you know where I’d find him?”
Dallas shook his head. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. The last thing Faith and your ma need is to see you strung up for murder.”
“I could do it without getting caught.”
“You’ve never killed a man. I have. It’s not something to be done lightly. I’ve put word out about the man. I get reports on him from time to time. He won’t be courting anyone else’s daughter.”
That wasn’t enough. If Rawley ever crossed paths with Berringer, he’d see to it the man drew his last breath.
He tossed back his whiskey, set the glass on the edge of the desk. “I love Faith.”
Dallas stood still for a few seconds, then nodded. “I know.”
“Not like a sister, not like a friend. I’m going to be where she needs me to be, and if that means I’m not sleeping in this house—to be honest, Dallas, it’s none of your damn business. What happens between Faith and me is between Faith and me.”
Another nod. “For what it’s worth, I’d be damn proud to call you son-in-law.”
“I don’t know if it’s going to come to that. I’m not quite sure how Faith feels about things or if it’s something she wants, but regardless, no one is ever going to hurt her again.”
Rawley had avoided courting or getting involved with anyone because his heart had belonged to Faith for the longest, but he’d always felt too broken for her. But now she was broken, too, and he was determined to see that she mended. If in the end, it took her away from him, carried her into someone else’s arms, he’d find a way to survive. All that mattered was that she was well and happy.
So he asked his mother to let Callie stay another night, and he told Faith that when they were done for the day, he’d meet her at the cabin, that he had something special in mind. He made all the plans, was quite pleased with how they’d turned out.
The one thing he hadn’t counted on was the rain that hit just before he got to the cabin.
She was not nervous. But there was a measure of anticipation thrumming through her as she stood in the open doorway, watched the rain pounding the ground, and listened as it hammered out a steady staccato beat on the roof. It had been years since she’d looked forward to spending time alone with a man—she didn’t count last night because they’d been together as friends. She had a feeling tonight was going to be a little different. The way his eyes had warmed when he told her he was making plans for them—and that Callie would be staying with her mother—had caused her to smile for the remainder of the day.
While she’d found herself nervous around other men, hadn’t wanted to be alone with them, she’d never had the same reaction when it came to Rawley—except when he’d taken her by surprise in the river. She couldn’t deny a connection had always existed between them. It pleased her to know that tonight they would have some time alone together.
Still, she had expected him to arrive on his horse, not in the buggy. When he brought it to a halt, he darted around to the back, picked up a large wicker basket, and bounded up the steps.
His grin was wry, self-deprecating. “So much for my plans.”
She smiled. “A picnic.”
With a nod, he glanced over his shoulder. “I wasn’t counting on Mother Nature spoiling things.”
“We need the rain,” she pointed out, trying not to sound too disappointed for herself and for him, for the trouble he’d gone to. “We can picnic inside.”
“It won’t be the same.”
“It’ll certainly be different from any other picnic I’ve ever had.”
His eyes warmed. “That’s what I was hoping for.”
He carried the basket indoors, then took the time to unhitch the duo of horses and get them into a shelter. When he came back inside, she tossed a towel at him, watched as he scrubbed it through his drenched hair.
“You left some of your clothes behind if you want to get into something dry.”
His brows lifted in surprise. “They’re still here?”
She wasn’t ready to confess that some nights she slept with a shirt he’d worn before he left because it still carried his scent—faint but noticeable. With a shrug, she said, “Bottom drawer of the bureau.”
While he went into the bedroom, to avoid thinking about his removing his clothes, she busied herself getting things ready. She spread a quilt out on the floor and set the basket on it. Although it was near twilight, the thick clouds and heavy rain had blocked the sun as it dipped toward the horizon, darkened the sky. Preferring the dimness, she lit only one lamp, then opened the door to welcome in the outside. The porch eaves prevented the dampness from getting inside, but the scent of rain wafted in on a cool breeze.
She was gazing out when Rawley came up behind her and gingerly placed his hands on her waist. With a sigh, she leaned against him, reached back, and brought his arms around her, folding them over her chest just below her breasts. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips over her temple.
“I’ve always loved the rain,” he said quietly.
I’ve always loved you, she thought.
Slowly he turned her around. “I’d planned to feed you first.”
“I’m not hungry for food.” She skimmed her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, around his neck. “But what I am hungry for . . .” Tears burned her eyes. “I don’t know that I’m ready, that I can do it. I feel so dirty—and you know how grimy I am.”
“Like I told you last night—it wasn’t your fault, Faith. When I look at you, I don’t see him. I see only you. I see a woman who endured something terrible and rose above it to become a wonderful mother, an extraordinary woman.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand, Rawley. You can’t know what it’s like—”
“I do know, Faith. I don’t know how old I was. I remember my two front teeth were missing the first time the man who called himself my pa sold me to a depraved bastard.”
Chapter Thirteen
Her heart lurched, her stomach roiled, and the tightness closing in around her chest made it difficult to breathe. All the pain she’d been feeling for herself now shifted over to him. With one hand, she cradled his jaw. She couldn’t find the words, all she could do was hold his gaze, while the tears rolled over onto her cheeks.
With his thumb, he captured her tears. “Don’t cry, darling. It was a long time ago.”
“But it never leaves you.”
“No, it doesn’t. But you don’t have to let it own you, and for the longest time I did. I thought what happened to me made me unworthy, unworthy to love, unworthy to be loved. I thought those men left something ugly inside me—that it would touch others. That it would touch you.” He circled his thumb around her cheek. “That night you came here, I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss you. I wanted to lift you into my arms, carry you to my bed, a
nd make love to you until dawn.
“If I’d told you what I was feeling, why I thought the kiss was a mistake, maybe things would have changed between us. I don’t know. Maybe you’d have kicked Berringer out of your life that night, maybe you’d have never been hurt. I left, Faith, because I was afraid if you came to me again, I wouldn’t have the strength to turn you away. And I believed with all my heart you deserved better than me.”
He’d wanted her? His kiss had certainly made her feel desired, and yet—
She shook her head. “But what about that woman you love? The one Maggie told me about.”
He smiled tenderly. “It was you, Faith. It’s always been you.”
More tears pooled over onto her cheeks. “Oh, Rawley.”
He angled his head, lowered it slightly. “If you don’t want what I’m offering, all you have to do is say stop.”
Only she did want it, had always wanted it. When his lips touched hers, she opened her mouth to him, to this incredible, remarkable man who had always connected with her soul in ways no one else ever had. Why hadn’t she trusted her own emotions, her own instincts, her own wants? Why had she doubted the strength of what she’d felt for him?
As he deepened the kiss, she poured all she was into the joining of their mouths and the sweep of her tongue over his. While she hadn’t had any liquor, she was still feeling drunk and giddy. She didn’t object when he placed his hands on her backside, when he pressed her against him, and she felt his need for her, hard and long, straining against his pants, pushing against her belly.
She wasn’t frightened or repulsed as she’d feared she might be. She sensed the unleashed strength there but also felt it within herself. His desire for her caused his body’s reaction. Not a desire to hurt or harm or dominate her. But a desire to share, to let her know she was his equal. Otherwise he wouldn’t have given her the power to dictate the terms.
“Stop,” she said against his mouth, and he went immediately still.
Breathing harshly, he pulled away, held her gaze.
“I want this, Rawley, I truly do. Inside I feel so dirty. All the baths in the world aren’t going to clean what needs cleaning.”
“I know. There were times when I nearly scrubbed myself raw.” He looked past her. “You know when I feel cleanest, Faith? When I’m caught in a rainstorm.” He tugged off his boots and socks, then knelt and removed her shoes. Straightening, he reached down and threaded his fingers through hers. “Trust me.”
She did. With all her heart and soul. So with her hand nestled in his, she followed him out onto the porch, down the steps, and onto the grass where her daughter played.
The rain was heavy, but not the driving, stinging sort. It washed over her, sending rivulets down her face. She’d left her hair loose. Rawley plowed his hands into it and once again took her mouth, his passion all the more heated.
Pressing up against him, she took pleasure in his deep-throated growl, felt it vibrating through his chest. With one hand still tangled in her hair, he wrapped his other arm securely around her and lowered them both to the ground until he was flat on his back and she was straddling his hips.
Looking down on him, she met his smoldering gaze.
“You’re in charge, Faith. Either show or tell me what you want. Do with me as you will.”
Dropping her head back, she laughed as the rain pelted her, as the shackles that had claimed her for too long fell away. She had nothing to prove to this man, no expectations to be met. His love for her ripped away boundaries, left her as free as the wide-open plains.
She returned her attention to him. “If you don’t like what I’m offering, all you have to do is tell me to stop.”
He grinned devilishly. “Darling, when it comes to you, that word is never going to cross my lips. I won’t object to anything you want to do to me.”
His words emboldened her. She grabbed his shirt placket with both hands, one on either side, and ripped it asunder, sending buttons dancing through the air. His eyes darkened.
“You have an awfully fine chest, Mr. Cooper.” She lowered her mouth to the hollow in its center and lapped at the rain that was gathering there, at the skin just beneath the shallow pool of rainwater. His growl competed with the thunder as he stiffened. More power to her, more dominance, more control. She licked her way over his ribs, one by one, then up his neck, until she was able to take his lobe between her teeth and give it a little nip. “Return the favor,” she rasped.
“Christ, Faith.”
When she straightened, she took his hands and placed them on either side of the buttons on her dress. She studied his face, the hunger there, the need, the desire not to hurt. “Do it,” she ordered.
His formidable muscles that she had watched develop over the years made short work of ripping away the bodice and chemise until she was bared to him from the waist up. Reverently, tenderly, he palmed her breasts, gently squeezed. “Perfect.”
Lifting himself up, he circled her nipple with his tongue, made an X over it, circled it again, then closed his heated mouth around it. She cried out at the pure pleasure of it. He gave the same attention to her other breast before again taking her mouth and delivering a blistering kiss that stole her ability to think or reason.
Passion and needs took over as their mouths and hands traveled over bare skin, plundered what was exposed, stealing treasured touches as sensations heightened. Pleasure pooled between her thighs, and she craved release.
With swift, greedy fingers, she unfastened his pants and set him free. He took hold of himself as she lifted her skirts, lifted herself before slowly sinking down, absorbing the wondrous glory of his filling her. Bracketing his hands on either side of her hips, he guided her motions as she rocked against him while the rain crashed down, drenching them, washing over them, cleansing.
Stroking her hands over his chest, she dropped her head back and rode him hard and fast, the pleasure building until it whipped through her and sent her flying into a great abyss where gratification reigned. Her cry echoed around them, circling his growl as he bucked beneath her and she felt his hot seed pouring into her.
Collapsing on top of him, she welcomed his arms closing around her. She held him tightly as the storm had its way with them and peace floated around her, settled over her.
Rawley thought his courting style lacked a lot in the way of finesse but couldn’t argue with the end result. As he sat in the bathtub of warm water with Faith’s back nestled against his chest, he’d never felt so clean.
“When did you realize you loved me?” she asked.
“I always loved you. But you were seventeen, going on eighteen when I realized what I felt for you was starting to shift into territory it shouldn’t.”
“That’s about the time I noticed you avoiding me, finding excuses not to be around me. I should have figured it out. I guess I was still trying to figure myself out.”
He dropped his mouth to the nape of her neck. “You turned out just fine.”
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“Dry off, go to bed, make love again.”
She laughed. “I meant where do we go beyond that. I’d like to explore what we have here but don’t want to rush into any sort of commitment.”
“I understand that, Faith.”
She twisted around until her hip was pressed against his cock, and it jumped to attention. “I don’t want Callie to suspect something’s happening between us. Or my parents.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Or anyone. It’s not that I’m ashamed of you, of us, but—”
“I know. We’ll lose all our choices.”
With a nod, she settled back against him, sending the water rolling over them. “Pa would make you marry me.”
He didn’t think she needed to know he’d already spoken with her father. He didn’t want her to feel she had to travel this trail with him.
“I do like your idea, though, of drying off, going to bed, and making love again.”
And that’s exactly
what they did.
Chapter Fourteen
When Faith woke up that morning, all she wanted to do was stay in bed with Rawley, but they had responsibilities. Besides, she’d been anxious to see Callie. She’d never gone that long without her. So they decided they’d act as though nothing had happened, and that evening they’d take Callie to the opening of the Nickelodeon.
But as she stood in the lobby of the movie theater with Callie clutching her hand while jumping about and Rawley discreetly holding Faith’s other hand, she couldn’t help but believe she was glowing with happiness and wasn’t certain how anyone could miss it.
“This is quite the majestic building,” Rawley said, glancing around at the gold and red wallpaper, the red plush carpet, the elaborately carved molding on the banisters of the twin winding staircases—currently roped off—that led to the balcony seating.
“You know Ma. She likes to give people experiences to make them feel special. Callie, you remember the rule about tonight, don’t you?”
Callie rolled her eyes. “No talking.”
“That’s right. This is a grown-up event, but you get to come because you’re family.”
“Rufus wanted to come.”
“This isn’t a place for dogs. He’s waiting for you at home,” Faith reminded her. Rawley had come by in the buggy to pick them up, was going to take them back home.
Laurel chose that moment to make her appearance, standing on the landing at the top of the stairs. She clapped her hands several times to try to get everyone’s attention, but too much excitement filled the room for people to pay much notice.
Suddenly an ear-splitting whistle rent the air, causing everyone to glance around. “Quieten down!” Rawley yelled, and the crowd fell silent.
Laurel smiled. “Thank you, Cousin Rawley. Welcome, everyone! Aunt Dee, Uncle Dallas, and I are so happy you’ve joined us tonight. We think you’re in for a unique experience. While moving pictures have been around for a few years, they are gaining in popularity. Theaters dedicated to showing them are being built around the country. As you know, my aunt and uncle think it’s important we keep up with the changing times. So tonight we have for your enjoyment Oliver Twist. We also have the exceptional talents of Austin and Grant Leigh to provide the music that will accompany the film. You may sit on the main floor or we’re removing the ropes, so you can come up to the balcony. Enjoy your journey into magic!”
Texas Legacy Page 10