It's In His Smile (A Red River Valley Novel Book 3)

by Shelly Alexander

  He took the stairs as fast as his legs would carry both of them. The sweet scent of her—subtle perfume mixed with a remnant of cranberry—the way she melted into him with such intimate ease, the feel of her thundering heart beating in rhythm with his, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to let her go. And why should he?

  Why would he?

  They reached the second-floor landing, the old wood creaking. He had every loose board on that staircase memorized from his childhood, and he remembered every step of the same journey he’d taken up those stairs with Miranda seven years ago. He turned left toward the honeymoon suite. The one night they’d shared together was the best of his life. She hadn’t warned him that it was her first time, and the shock that had rippled through him when he realized had made him freeze up for a moment. What happened afterward when they went back to the reception had turned the evening into a nightmare.

  Not tonight.

  Tonight was all for her. And there would be many more nights just like this if he had anything to say about it. Unfortunately, she had a habit of not letting him finish whatever he was trying to say. But maybe after tonight, he could change that.

  Miranda slid down Talmadge’s hard body until her toes touched the floor, and she tilted her head back to stare up into his metallic blue eyes. A chill of anticipation coursed through her and she shivered. And not just a little shiver. It was more like an earthquake.

  He stared back, those unique eyes glazed with lust. For her. This time it wasn’t just her throwing herself at him.

  She was about to do this. With Talmadge Oaks. Again. Her long sex sabbatical had made her as nutty as a pecan orchard, because she was scared. She hadn’t done this in . . . well, seven years. Seven years, three months, and twenty-nine days.

  He laid another panty-dropping kiss on her. The man’s lips were pure genius. His hands weren’t bad either because they were currently slipping inside her panties and flexing into her flesh. Caressing and massaging until she moaned.

  He bent to suckle her neck, smiling against her prickling skin.

  A whole different kind of fear seized her, and she pushed at his chest. “Um, I don’t have any protection. I mean . . . I don’t usually . . .”

  He shut her up with a kiss. This one wasn’t just a panty-dropper. It melted her yellow polka dots right off. Gripping her shirt . . . well, his shirt . . . with his fists, he pulled her into him.

  He released her mouth, giving her nose a teasing graze with his. “I’ve got it covered.”

  “Oh.” Of course he did. He probably needed to be prepared. Often. Unlike her.

  And then his lips brushed across hers and her insides went all soft and gooey right along with her knees. He slid a strong arm around her waist to steady her as another brush with his lips coaxed her mouth open. Her eyes fluttered shut when he feathered tender kisses down her neck. The touch of his lips against her skin was so sweet, so deep with emotion, so generously loving that Miranda didn’t think her heart could contain another ounce of emotion for this man.

  Her eyes flew open, and she stared at the old brass light fixture overhead that hung in shadowy darkness. He trailed kisses up to her ear and suckled her earlobe. She swallowed.

  She loved him. She was in love with Talmadge Oaks and had been for seven years, three months, and twenty-nine days. And if she didn’t know better she’d think that he loved her too, by the way he was showing it with his gentle hands and generous mouth.

  Of course she didn’t have anyone else to compare it to, so what did she know?

  “You’re thinking too much.” Talmadge’s voice was hoarse with desire, and his words whispered across her ear, sending a shiver lancing all the way through her. Even her scalp prickled. He backed her toward the antique four-poster bed. “I can almost hear the wheels turning inside that stubborn head of yours.”

  She stopped his advance and stared up at him with an eyebrow firmly raised. “Did you just insult my head?”

  He ignored her and tugged on her ear with his teeth.

  She cleared her throat.

  Both of his hands threaded into her hair and he cradled her head in his large palms. “It wasn’t an insult, but you’re the stubbornest woman I know.” His mouth found hers and issued a languid, lush kiss. “You’re also one of the smartest.” Another slow, sweet kiss. “And definitely the most beautiful.”

  “Oh. Okay then,” she panted out.

  When his mouth found hers again, she kissed him back with the same careful ease, matching the rhythm of his mouth and his tongue to perfection. It was so precious, so pure, so utterly delicious that Miranda’s world tilted off balance. With his hands still anchored in her hair, he leaned her head a bit to one side and angled his mouth fully against hers, deepening the kiss to mind-melting intensity.

  Her hands slid under his jacket and found his contoured chest. His muscles jumped and twitched under her touch, and his smooth but hard flesh heated as she explored the hills and valleys of his perfectly formed body.

  Good God, he was perfect. So perfect it was almost painful.

  A heavy sigh of pleasure skipped through her lips, and his hold on her tightened. So did the pressure of his mouth on hers. And he took his sweet time exploring her mouth with his tongue and her body with his hands. Like a blueprint that he was trying to read. Trying to understand and discover where all the most sensitive spots were so he could pay careful attention to those before moving on to others.

  Miranda smoothed both hands up his chest and over his shoulders so the jacket eased backward. He let it slip to the floor, and then he did the same to her.

  “I like you in my shirt. It’s sexy as hell.” He eased her backward until the bed came up against the back of her thighs. The wood planks in that particular spot creaked under their feet, scraping and squeaking with the slightest shift of their weight.

  “You wearing no shirt at all is sexy as hell.” She reached for the top of his jeans and unbuttoned them.

  He chuckled at her brazen honesty. When her fingers grasped the zipper, his hand covered hers and stopped the movement.

  “I’m staying the night this time.” He gave her an earnest stare.

  She inhaled deeply and held it for a second before releasing the air from her lungs. “Okay.”

  Most of Red River already thought they were sleeping together or hoped they would soon. She’d even heard rumors on a pool. So far Al the plumber was expected to win. And she couldn’t believe she was thinking this, but if anyone had anything nasty to say about Talmadge spending the night . . . well, they could bite her. Being with him, waking up with him just seemed perfect and natural. And right.

  He released her hand and eased a bra strap off one of her shoulders. “And we’re not going to be weird about this tomorrow, like we were after the first time.” He bent his head to place a kiss where the bra strap had just been, and she shuddered with delight. He smiled against her shoulder.

  “Okay. No weird stuff.” Her voice wobbled as much as her knees. Damn straight they wouldn’t be weird about it, especially if he planned to keep touching her like that.

  He straightened and slid the other strap down her arm.

  Another wet, warm kiss landed where the second strap had sat, and he nipped at her shoulder with his teeth.

  Good God.

  “And you’re not going to tell me this was a mistake, like last time,” he murmured against her shoulder, then started to trail kisses across her chest.

  “Um, I’m thinking that was because of Bridget.” She swallowed when his lips grazed across her nipple through the thin fabric of her bra. “Or a full moon. Or a spike in hormones because we were at a wedding.” His lips closed around the aching bud. “No, it was definitely Bridget.” He pulled the cup of her bra down, and his teeth tugged at the peak, to punish her. “Oh,” she rasped out.

  He smothered her sensual cry in a fierce kiss. When he released her mouth he nipped at her bottom lip. “Because another one-night stand between us just doesn’t work
for me.”

  Her insides went nuclear.

  “Whatever you want, Talmadge,” she panted out. Her hands found his luxurious hair, and she pulled his mouth back to hers.

  She had no idea how either of them got completely naked. His mouth and his touch consumed her, and he laid her back on the bed. She should’ve still been nervous. Terrified, even. Because it had been so long, and she didn’t have that much experience. But his touch was so gentle and attentive that all her nervous energy channeled into desire for him.

  With a dreamy kiss, he eased her back. The mattress dipped under his weight as he followed her, settling next to her on his side. Without breaking that sweet kiss, he threaded his fingers into hers and pressed their hands into the soft quilt.

  “I wasn’t sure how to please you last time,” he said while showering butterfly kisses down her neck. His hot breath whispered against the moistness of his kisses, and she shivered with delight.

  “You did just fine.” Her voice went all croaky. Real good, because it was so sexy to sound like a frog at a time like this. She swallowed.

  “Just fine wasn’t good enough.” He kissed behind her ear. “It was your first time, and I wasn’t sure how to handle that.”

  He wasn’t sure? He had seemed pretty sure to her. Much more so than she had.

  “So I get a do-over tonight.” He feathered more hot, wet kisses down her chest and took an aching nipple into his mouth, suckling.

  She arched into him and gasped.

  He let out a quiet, satisfied chuckle against her skin, then worked the tight bud with his tongue.

  “You don’t need a do-over,” she panted out. “It was wonderful. The best.” The only.

  “We need to raise the bar, then.” He kissed his way to her other breast and took it between his teeth, nipping and sucking it into a throbbing peak. “It’s been seven years since we’ve been together. I want to make sure it was worth the wait.” He circled the bud with the tip of his tongue, and she bucked.

  One hand still pinned to the bed, she used the other to run splayed fingers through his luxurious hair. A tear sprang from her eye before she could beat it back and trickled down the side of her cheek. She had been waiting for him all those years. She just hadn’t realized it. “I never wanted anyone else, Talmadge. You’re the only one.”

  His head popped up, and she swiped at a tear. He stared down at her. Released her hand and smoothed a strand of hair away from her face. “That was your only time?”

  She swallowed. Placed the palm of her hand over his as he cradled her cheek. She nodded. Moonlight streamed through the lace curtains to cast a glow on his handsome face.

  His eyes were soft and sure as he gazed down at her. “Then we have some catching up to do.” A gentle smile curved his lips, and gently, he kissed her tears away.

  She sighed.

  With that, he dipped his head to trail kisses back down to her breasts, and he proved to her why once just wasn’t enough.

  His mouth scorched a trail down her stomach to her belly button, where he circled with his tongue and nipped with his teeth. He pressed a soft, wet kiss to the inside of her thigh. When his mouth moved to the edge of her curls, a pang of fear welled inside of her. She gripped his shoulders.

  “Talmadge.” Her voice was a desperate whisper.

  “It’s okay.” He lifted his head and murmured against the super sensitive skin below her belly button. “Promise.” He blazed a trail of scorching heat over to her hip, then down the crease where her thigh connected. Gently, softly, he nudged her thighs farther apart.

  Her lungs locked.

  With exquisite tenderness, his magnificent tongue delved between her folds and found her center.

  She cried out and arched against his mouth, her hands fisting his hair.

  “Do you want me to stop?” he whispered against the swollen nub that pulsed and ached for his thrilling touch.

  “Dear God, no,” she managed to breathe out.

  “Good.” He pressed a kiss against her throbbing flesh.

  He loved her like that until her mind blurred with ecstasy. When she thought it couldn’t get any better, he slipped two fingers inside her, and she exploded around him. A climax crashed into her so fierce, so fast that she thought she would break apart.

  Talmadge kissed his way back up her length, stopping to give attention to each straining breast. He placed a kiss in between. “Your heart is beating so fast.” He kissed the spot over her heart again.

  Of course it was. The sensations rippling through her made her heart knock against her chest like a drum. Running both hands up his chest, she placed one palm over his heart. “So is yours.”

  “That’s because I love touching you.” He was almost as breathless as her. “I love looking at you, especially like this.”

  Within seconds he had protection on, and his weight swept over her again. He pressed his hips into hers, and it stole her breath. Pulsing against her, his erection nudged at her entrance. Her fingertips curled into his broad shoulders as her insides tightened again with anticipation. She locked her ankles around his waist and pressed him farther into her. Another wave of heat ignited deep inside her, and she strained her hips toward him.

  “Slow,” he said. “We have all night. I don’t hurry, remember?”

  She let out a strained laugh. “I do, in fact, remember. Every detail.” She rose to kiss the crook of his neck, and he hissed out something that sounded like a curse but dripped with pleasure. Since he seemed to like that so much, she closed her lips over his neck and suckled, gently at first, then with more pressure, flicking her tongue over his cleanly shaved skin.

  His breathing got heavier.

  With both hands she traced down his powerful arms, then over his ribcage and up his back. His muscles danced under her fingertips, his flesh heating everywhere she touched. He circled his hips and nudged in a little farther, moving slowly in and out without fully penetrating her depths. Rhythmically, he teased and taunted, her insides turning to a fiery liquid.

  She smoothed her palms down his back, over his butt, and pulled him into her.

  Apparently, no restraint left—thank all the saints—he went for the gold, burying himself deep inside her. He let out a groan of pleasure. Her quivering flesh closed around his incredible erection, and she tried to stifle a scream. Did no good. His name tumbled out, and she clamped her shaking legs tighter around him.

  “Jesus, you feel so damn good,” he said through clenched teeth as he throbbed inside of her. When he opened his eyes, his beautiful gaze shimmered down at her, and her heart expanded just a little bit more with love.

  He rolled his hips into hers, each stroke causing her insides to coil and tighten. Pleasure licked over every molecule of her body. Her eyes shut, head turned to one side, he plunged into her over and over until another orgasm overtook her, and she cried out his name again.

  He gave in to it a moment after she did, whispering her name into her hair.

  His weight bearing down on her, pressing her firmly into the old mattress was utterly exquisite, and she wound her arms and legs around him as tightly as she could. She wanted to stay there forever, enjoying his touch, his scent, his heart beating against hers. They lay there entwined for what seemed an eternity. Their heartbeats swirled and churned together until they became one.

  And Miranda knew she was lost. If Talmadge left . . . when Talmadge left, her heart would break, just as surely as the sun would rise tomorrow bringing her another day closer to having to say good-bye.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The soft, worn quilt against Talmadge’s bare skin felt nice. Like a dream. The image of a beautiful brunette shuddering with pleasure underneath him was more like a fantasy. He bundled deeper into the covers and threw an arm across Miranda’s waist.

  Except she wasn’t there.

  His eyes popped open to the soft blush of dawn cascading through the lace curtains, and he sat up.

  The spot next to him was empty, the pil
low still indented with Miranda’s silhouette. The ivory sheets hinted at the distinct angles and planes of her body, her soft curves and the perfect shape he had spent most of the night exploring.

  Best night he could remember in the last seven years.

  He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

  What time was it? And why did she ditch him without waking him up? He slid out of bed and grabbed his pants.

  A ripple of tension zinged through his chest. He really hoped it wasn’t buyer’s remorse on her part, like she’d had seven years ago. He wasn’t going to be her one-night stand again.

  Hell no. That just wouldn’t work for him this time.

  He hadn’t slept so soundly in weeks. Not since the Trinity Falls debacle. Of course, not a lot of sleeping had happened until well into the night. He wasn’t complaining, because he was pretty sure he’d used quite a bit more finesse with Miranda than he had seven years ago. The way she’d responded to him, murmuring his name with every orgasm, had made him want to keep pleasing her. After every climax, she’d wrapped herself around him like she was hanging on for dear life, until finally they settled into the cozy covers with her cheek against his shoulder and their legs tangled. They’d fallen asleep with him running his fingers through her hair until it fanned out on the pillow. She’d caressed his chest with her fingertips, the softness of her touch lulling him into a deep, dreamy sleep.

  It made him want to spend every night doing the same.

  He pulled his jeans on and looked around for a shirt. He couldn’t help a smile that reached all the way to his soul when an image of Miranda wearing it popped into his mind.

  Barefoot, he padded down the creaking stairs, and a sense of home filled him. He had never felt completely at home in Red River since his parents died, because of the shameful secret he kept buried deep inside. So he’d blazed a trail out of there as soon as he could, accepting a scholarship to a university as far away as possible. When he’d come back to visit, the memories started to choke the life out of him after a few days.