The last thought he had as he settled his head on his pillow next to his sleeping bride was that he couldn't even remember the last time he'd kissed her!
Tim knew he was dreaming but he was enjoying himself too much to be concerned. He and Elisabeth were swimming in a lagoon filled with clear blue water surrounded on three sides by the gleaming white sand of a deserted beach. Palm trees swayed lazily in the breeze. Sunlight sparkled across the water and tinted her bare shoulders.
He reached for her, wanting to touch her, and she floated to him, her body nudging his. They were both as unadorned as the day they were born, but it didn't matter. They were in their own private paradise, having to share their tropical haven with no one but each other.
He tipped her chin slightly so he could kiss her, his mouth finding hers in a rush of pleasure. She seemed to melt against him, fitting her body to the contours of his. Her arms lifted to slide around his neck, which caused her breasts to nestle even closer... pressed seductively against his chest.
He could feel the tingling urgency of his body everywhere she touched him, and he quivered with need. Lifting his mouth from hers, he glanced into her face and saw the dreaming expression she wore. He knew he couldn't wait much longer to possess her. Lifting her high in his arms and holding her tightly against his chest, he waded through the water to shore, where he could place her on the soft grass in the shade of the palm trees and make delicious love to her.
He ran his hand lightly down her warm, bare body and felt her immediate response to his touch. Unerringly he bent his head and touched his tongue to the tip of her breast.
Perhaps it was her soft sigh that brought him out of his dream and caused Tim to realize that he was in fact making love to Elisabeth.
Faint moonlight flowed through the long windows, giving indistinct light to the bedroom. He could see her plainly. Her eyes were closed, but her arms were draped around his shoulders, her breasts only inches from his mouth.
He could feel his heart pounding in his chest at what was happening. When had this started, and how could he best handle it? Her lips were slightly parted, still moist from his kisses. Even while he watched her he allowed his hand to lightly slide across her abdomen down to the cluster of curls that protected her femininity.
She raised her hips to him in a coaxing movement that undid him. His fingers searched, then found what they were seeking, confirming that she wanted him, was more than ready for him.
Still more than half asleep himself, he allowed his feelings to overcome his thoughts. Once more he found her breast with his mouth and began to rhythmically tug while his fingers continued their own special brand of magic.
Elisabeth whimpered, kneading his shoulders like a kitten, lifting her hips to him in silent supplication.
With a swift movement Tim removed his briefs and moved over her. Blindly he found her mouth and possessed it in the same way he possessed her body— skillfully, tenderly and with a determination that could not be denied.
Elisabeth showed no signs of not wanting his possession. She clung to him fiercely, meeting his steady, rhythmic movements with ones of equal impatience as though she had been starved for his touch, denied of the pleasure they were finding in each other's arms.
As though they were two halves of a finely tuned whole they reached a climactic explosion together, each fiercely clinging to the other as their bodies trembled in the aftermath of their fiery ardor.
Tim felt almost boneless while he lay there. Because he had feared that his weight would be too much for her, he had rolled with her still in his arms until he lay flat on his back, with Elisabeth lying across his chest.
Neither of them had said a word to the other. It was as though both wanted to treat their tumultuous coming together as part of a moonlit dream sequence that might be shattered by a spoken word.
Tim couldn't seem to think. His body continued to pump the adrenaline and desire through him. As though disconnected from his brain, his hands yielded to the temptation of touching her soft skin, tracing from her shoulders to her hips in a yearning to memorize each curve and hollow, each texture that made her who she was.
He felt her shift slightly against him and reluctantly loosened his grasp. Lazily she touched her tongue to his neck, then delicately kissed him. Instead of pulling away, she allowed her hand to lightly flow across his chest, then down along the rigid stomach muscles, her hand gliding... soothing and yet arousing, despite their earlier fervor.
Tim turned his head slightly so his mouth rested against her forehead. He felt a fine sheen of moisture that he knew covered his body as well. He gently pressed a kiss there that began a tactile trail leading to her lips.
He felt the slight catch in her breath when he covered her mouth, leisurely exploring its depths, all the while fully aware of the sensuous pattern her fingers played across his torso.
They moved in silence and in slow motion, touching, tasting and tantalizing each other. No longer were they bound by fierce needs and unfulfilled longings. Now they had time to savor each sensation.
The tension built so slowly as to be almost nonexistent. It was as though at any time one expected to find the other had fallen asleep. Instead of sleep, however, their already sensitive bodies were feeling the increased tempo of a heartbeat, the soft exhalation of pleasure, the beginnings of urgency.
Still sprawled across him, Elisabeth slowly shifted, inch by inch, until she cradled his arousal. He lifted her slightly, just enough to enter and take possession of her once more.
Still in a dream state, they moved to an unconscious rhythm with slow thrusts and even slower withdrawals until, despite themselves, the surge of completion suddenly engulfed them, wrapping around them with a sudden greediness that insisted and persisted, casting them out of their sheltered lee into the full force of all the elements—wind, water, earth and fire.
By the time they were released from the elemental forces, both had succumbed to an even deeper sleep than that from which nature had previously aroused them. For a little while, at least, each had found a small measure of peace.
❧
Tim woke up to bright sunlight and a sense that all was well in the best possible world. His head was clear, and he felt alert, rested and satiated. When he remembered why his eyes flew open.
He glanced at the bed. He was alone. Leaning on one elbow, he looked around the room, wondering where Elisabeth was and how long she had been gone. There were no clues. He ran his hand through his tousled hair and frowned.
Damn.
He needed to see her, preferably before they went downstairs to start their day. He needed to explain about last night, to—
Explain what? What was there to say, after all? They had needed each other, been drawn to each other, had clung to each other. Last night had been a culmination of all the stress and strain both of them had been under for weeks.
He got out of bed and started to the bathroom, wondering if she'd buy that.
The truth was that he had wanted her, had wanted her from the moment he had first laid eyes on her. He still couldn't comprehend how he had managed not to make love to her until now. But the fact was that he had, and that all the rules had been changed now.
Thank God.
They were married, and by damn they were going to stay married. He wasn't sure how he was going to convince Elisabeth of that at the moment, but he could be as stubborn as she was when he really wanted something. Now that he knew what he wanted he would be unswerving in pursuit of his goal.
She belonged to him now. She just didn't know it.
Tim was glad to have sorted all that out in his head by the time he reached the bathroom door, which opened in front of him and revealed his delectable-looking wife wearing a towel and a frown. He had a sudden compulsive need to remove both of them.
''Good morning," he said with a grin. ''I was just coming to look for you."
Since he hadn't bothered covering himself Elisabeth was given an unadulterated view of her husba
nd. She didn't appear to be overly impressed with the sight.
"Why?" After the first all-encompassing glance, her eyes remained on his. Her voice was as aloof as her gaze.
He ignored it. If anything, his grin widened. Miss Elisabeth might be able to use that cool, aloof gaze to good effect with others. In actual fact, she'd had results using it with him until now. Because now he knew the truth. Beneath that frosty facade lurked a warm and passionate woman he would never lose sight of, no matter how diligently she attempted to hide.
He leaned against the door jamb and nonchalantly crossed one foot over the other, effectively blocking her exit from the small, steam-filled room.
"Why?" he repeated. "Because I wanted to suggest that it was much too early for us to be getting up. I'm sure you could use some more rest."
"I'm fine." Although her tone held steady, a tiny flush seemed to crawl across her cheekbones, and her gaze wavered for a moment. Just a moment, but it was enough. She wasn't nearly as composed as she would like him to believe.
"Honey, you are much more than fine. You are incomparable."
The soft color in her cheeks brightened to a crimson hue.
''Last night didn't mean a thing!"
After meeting her gaze for a moment he took a leisurely inventory of her, from the curls that were still pinned on top of her head to the wisps that had fallen around her neck and over her ears to the way the towel slightly flattened her breasts, causing them to swell above the rough material—reminding him of how they had felt the night before pressed against him—to her thighs, which were revealed by the towel wrapped around her, down the long line of her shapely legs, to her dainty ankles and feet. Without a doubt the woman was a true work of art. Tim had an urge to start at the bottom and kiss every inch of her body.
His thoughts must have been revealed on his face, he decided ruefully, as she uselessly tugged at her inadequate cover.
"Didn't it?" he murmured. ''Are you sure?"
She stepped toward him as though expecting Tim to give way and allow her through the doorway. He did not live up to her expectations. She had made a tactical error in getting within arm's length of him. Never one to miss an opportunity, Tim snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.
''You can't just—" was as far as Elisabeth managed to protest before his mouth found hers, effectively rebutting her statement. Obviously he could. And he did.
Tim took his time kissing her, enjoying the fact that she was determined not to give in to what was obviously between them and therefore held herself stiffly against him, her mouth primly closed. He used the time to nibble on her outthrust bottom Up, tasting it, testing its softness, letting his tongue stroke it until he was rewarded by her soft gasp as her mouth parted slightly and he gained entrance.
Somewhere in the ensuing moments, Elisabeth forgot about her towel and the necessity for keeping it firmly in place. At first her hands grasped his upper arms as though to prevent him from holding her any closer. Then, as though caught up in the play of muscles beneath her fingertips, she idly stroked the bare expanse of smooth skin stretched tautly over those same bunched muscles.
The towel shifted, slowly unfolding until her back was bare. Only the closeness between their bodies held the towel in place.
Tim didn't lift his head from hers, but continued to sip and savor her while he allowed his hands the freedom to roam across her back. She didn't seem to be aware of the moment when he lifted her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom and up the two steps to the bed. He lowered them both to the mattress.
He could not believe that anything could be more perfect than what they had shared the night before, but somehow the morning brightness seemed to enhance each movement as they clung to each other.
By the time he entered her they were both aching for completion and release, having deliberately teased and tormented and delayed their coming together until they were ready to explode.
When that internal explosion came it wiped out all memory of everything that might have come before, creating all new sensations of pleasure and release as though together they had been reborn.
Elisabeth was almost sobbing as she buried her head in Tim's shoulder, while he took long gulps of air to feed his oxygen-starved body. He couldn't begin to understand what kept happening between them. He just knew it was rare and needed to be carefully guarded, nurtured and, most important, appreciated.
They continued to lie there while he stroked her hair. He would never grow tired of touching her, holding her, expressing his need of her. He knew that. Did she?
When she finally lifted her head and looked at him he was dismayed to see tears in her eyes. The sheen made them sparkle like emeralds in the morning sunlight that filled the room.
"This doesn't change anything," she said fiercely.
''Doesn't it?" He kept his voice low and warily watched her.
"No. It just proves that we're normal, healthy human beings and that our present situation has thrown us into an intimacy that is not only understandable but expected." When he didn't comment she lifted her chin slightly and went on. "Once you're gone we'll forget everything that happened and just get on with our lives."
"Where am I going?" He asked the question with a show of interest that seemed to irritate her.
"Back to wherever you came from. Granddad is gone now. He died happy, knowing that his helpless little granddaughter was properly protected by the man of his choice."
"His choice?"
"Certainly. I knew he'd written you, even though he tried to make it seem that you just happened to be in the neighborhood. Neither one of you fooled me for a minute."
"I never tried to fool you. You were the one who told me about the letter, remember?"
"Oh, all right. Granddad tried, then."
"And you think that he wrote to ask me to rush over here and marry his helpless little granddaughter?" Tim couldn't control the laughter in his voice.
"I wouldn't put it past him."
"Could it be possible that I married you because I wanted to and for no other reason?"
''No, it couldn't."
"And why is that?"
"Because the more I've gotten to know you, the less likely it is that you were swept off your feet."
"Is that why you insisted on our having a platonic relationship?"
She glanced down, saw how closely entwined the two of them were and frowned. "We agreed," she muttered.
"But I don't remember the agreement."
Her eyes met his. "What do you remember?"
Why did he get the feeling his answer was important to her? He shrugged. "Oh, various things, some more clearly than others."
"If you remember anything at all, you will recall that you promised to leave once Granddad was gone and buried."
He wondered why she was lying. A promise of that nature would have been the last thing he would have consented to under the circumstances.
''Is that what you want?"
Her gaze shifted, and she attempted to move away. He tightened his hold on her just enough to dissuade her from her planned withdrawal.
''If we're going to argue I much prefer to do so in a horizontal position with you in my arms without any clothes on."
"We aren't going to argue. We're just going to each get on with our lives. I appreciate your being here with me these past few weeks, Tim. You and Granddad were right. But I see no reason to prolong the situation. It will only make it harder to get used to being on my own after you leave."
"You have no desire to make this a permanent relationship?"
She shook her head. "There was never any question of that. Never."
He couldn't deny that, since he didn't remember all the details. Just because he had decided he liked being married didn't mean she had reached the same conclusion.
Obviously she had no intention of continuing the relationship. Without her cooperation, what could he do about it?
Tim released her and climbed out of
bed without saying a word. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
So much for trying to convince her that she couldn't live without him. He reached into the shower and turned on the water, then stepped under the hot spray. So much for the lonesome Lothario approach. He had to admit he didn't have any background or experience in how to convince a woman he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
He had a hunch he wouldn't be given a great deal of time to try to perfect his technique.
Chapter 7
When Tim walked into the dining room he saw that Elisabeth was not alone. She was seated at the small table where Mrs. Brodie served the two of them their meals talking to a tall, lean man past his first youth. The man was dressed in expensive though battered boots, well-worn jeans and a work shirt that had seen multiple washings. He was twisting a Stetson around by the brim. Tim decided the man must be Sam, the ranch foreman.
He soon found that his guess had been correct.
"Tim, Sam's just told me that several head of cattle disappeared last night. The men found tracks that looked as though they were hauled out by a large tractor-trailer rig.''
Tim motioned to a third chair as he sat. "Sit down, Sam, and have some coffee so I can enjoy mine. My brain works considerably quicker after I've had a cup or two.''
Sam seemed more at ease once Tim joined them, and Tim recognized him to be one of a certain breed of man who isn't comfortable around women, particularly if the woman happens to be his new boss.
Tim listened as Elisabeth plied Sam with a multitude of questions, some of which Sam could only answer with a guess.
Elisabeth immediately caught the implications. "It's because Charlie is gone, isn't it? Somebody's letting me know I can't just expect things to go on as they were."
''Maybe not, ma'am. There's always a certain amount of rustling that goes on in cattle country. We've probably gotten a little lax around here lately because there hasn't been much sign of it in these parts for several months. That's my fault. I'll do everything I can to see that the cattle are recovered."
Max 2 - A Love Remembered Page 8