“He just wanted to help out,” Ginny said.
“Unbelievable,” Loretta said. “I mean, really unbelievable. I remember what he was like in high school, you know.” She shook her head. “Ginny, I know what some of the people in this town have been saying about him. That he’s a criminal who got away with it, a bad apple and all that. But you know, I’ve just decided I don’t believe a word of it.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope. Any man who’s as crazy about his wife as Cole is about you can’t be bad. Trust me. I’ve seen plenty of bad ones to know. And if I hear any more of that kind of talk, I intend to set the record straight.”
Darlene nodded. “Me, too.”
It wasn’t until this moment that Ginny realized the depth of the grudge the people of this town had been carrying. They’d assumed that Cole was guilty even though a jury had found him innocent, just because of what he’d been like as a teenager.
“Thanks,” Ginny said. “I appreciate that.”
“Hey,” Loretta said. “A bunch of us are going over to the Victorian home show in Marshall in a couple of weeks. Want to come along?”
Ginny smiled, feeling a surge of pure happiness. “I’d love to.”
It took another two hours, but finally the baking was done. Cole washed his hands for the last time and gave Ginny a look that said it was time to go now.
She felt a tingle of excitement. She knew Cole wasn’t in love with her, but still he desired her in a way she’d never expected any man would.
For tonight, that would have to be enough.
The moment they said their goodbyes and walked out of Rhonda’s house, Cole took Ginny by the arm.
“I want you to get into your car,” he commanded, “and stay right on my tail. No slowing down and absolutely no stopping anywhere. Do you understand?”
“Well, I was needing some laundry soap—”
“Forget the damned laundry! You follow me home right now!”
She really shouldn’t be teasing him, but she couldn’t help it. “Cole? Now, you’re not getting all bossy again, are you?”
He spun around, pointing a finger at her. “You bet your life I am! Forty dozen cookies say I have a right to be bossy! Is that clear?”
Ginny smiled furtively. “Yes. Perfectly clear.”
“Good.” He yanked open her car door and she got inside. He shut it behind her and got into his car. She loved the tone of his voice, even if it was bossy. Especially because it was bossy.
She smiled about it all the way home. But when they passed through the gates of the ranch, suddenly it struck her exactly what they were getting ready to do, and all at once she was having a hard time breathing.
They pulled up in front of the house. Cole leaped out of his car, opened her door, took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He led her by the hand up the porch steps. The moment they stepped inside the house, he turned and pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, desperate to feel his impatience finally unleashed into action. But instead of kissing her, he froze, staring at her.
“Cole? What’s the matter?”
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.
“Cole?”
“Ginny, this is…this is your first time.”
“Yes. I know.”
“You’ll remember it for the rest of your life, whether it’s good or bad—”
“Cole? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, really. It’s just that—”
“Do you want to do this or not?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“But what?”
He slipped away from her and paced toward the sofa. “I feel like somehow I’ve pushed you into this.”
“I’m the one who went on the pill. Remember?”
“Yes, I know, but still I pushed you, and—” He let out a breath of frustration. “Look. Ginny. If you don’t want to do this, you can tell me so, and I won’t say another word about it. I promise.”
She couldn’t believe it. Was this Cole McCallum talking? Where was the cockiness, the self-assurance, the arrogant overconfidence she’d come to know so well?
Gone, at least for now. One more layer of him was peeled away, exposing the man beneath, a man who cared about her, who wanted things right for her before they could ever be right for him. And it made her want him that much more.
She walked toward him. “Cole, I want this. I want you. Don’t you know that?”
“You say that now, but are you sure? It’ll change things, Ginny. You’ll feel differently afterward, and I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”
“Why don’t you let me decide that?” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just kiss me.”
After a moment of hesitation, he lowered his mouth to hers in a soft, gentle kiss. It was very nice, but Ginny wanted more. Much more.
She grabbed his shirt, pulled him down to her and kissed him. She put every ounce of feeling into it she could, using everything he’d ever taught her by example, telling him with every ounce of energy she had that she wanted him right here and right now. It was a kiss so hot and wild and intense that Cole couldn’t do anything but go along for the ride.
Finally she pulled away, still gripping his shirt. She wanted to see a hot flash of desire in his eyes. She wanted to see a man on the verge of sexual explosion. She wanted to see all his hesitancy disappear so she could finally experience what she’d dreamed about most of her adult life.
Instead, he smiled. “Ginny? Are you trying to tell me something?”
She yanked on his shirt. “Yes, damn it!”
His eyes flew open wide. “Yes…damn it?”
“What am I going to have to do to convince you? Rip your clothes off? Rip my clothes off? What?”
Cole blinked with surprise. Then a smile spread slowly across his face. “Can I have both?”
Ginny dropped her forehead against his chest. “What am I going to do with you?” she moaned.
“I’ll show you, sweetheart,” he said gently. “Right now.”
She looked at him, and there was nothing tentative about his gaze. He took her by the hand and led her into the bedroom. He swept the covers away, then pulled her down to sit beside him. He reached for the hem of her sweater, but she pushed his hands away.
“No. It’s my turn.”
She unfastened two of his shirt buttons. He tugged his shirttail from his jeans, then reached for her again.
A streak of boldness suddenly overtook her. She nudged his hands away, then put her hands against his shoulders and eased him down onto his back. She sensed his surprise, and she was just as surprised herself, but still she unfastened button number three, and after taking a deep, shaky breath, she spread his shirt open and kissed his chest. She wasn’t at all sure it was the right thing to do, but then his eyes dropped closed and he sighed softly, giving no indication that he wanted her to stop. So she did it again with the next button, and the next, her heart beating more wildly the further down she went. He drew the sheet up in his hands, making tight fists, and she had the sudden empowering sensation that her kisses were exciting him. She unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, finishing with a kiss on his taut abdomen just above his belt buckle.
He exhaled softly. “That’s really nice, sweetheart. How about the cuffs?”
Ginny unbuttoned his cuffs. He sat up and shrugged out of the shirt, and the minute he was free of it, he grasped the hem of her sweater and pulled it off over her head. The cool air of the room hit her bare skin, but his hands were on her immediately, warming her everywhere he touched, and as soon as he unclasped her bra, his hands were there, too, stroking her with a delicious, featherlight touch.
He coaxed her to lie down, then stretched out beside her, lowering his mouth to hers in a hot, hungry kiss. She would have thought there couldn’t possibly be anything more to kissing than he’d already shown her, but to her delight, he hadn’t even scratched the surface yet.
After dozens of slow, deep, dru
gging kisses, he found the button on her jeans and undid it, then slid her zipper down. He pulled her jeans off, and she was shocked when he took her panties right along with them. Lying suddenly naked on the bed, she reached for the sheet to cover herself only to have him pull it out of her hand.
“No, you don’t,” he said. “I want to see all of you tonight.”
So she lay there, staring at him, and she might have felt really self-conscious if she hadn’t been so tuned in to Cole taking his jeans off. She watched as he peeled away his clothes and for the first time in her life she saw a totally naked man. In the flesh. In the most gorgeous, awe-inspiring, breathtaking flesh she’d ever seen.
Cole stretched out beside her again, his hands always moving, traveling down her body to stroke her hips, her thighs. Then she felt his hot breath against the side of her breast. He pressed a kiss there, then rose and flicked his tongue over her nipple.
Electricity shot through her. She writhed against him, but he trapped her with his hands and his body, teasing his tongue around her nipple, then doing the same to the other one. Her shock was matched only by the intense pleasure she felt, a deep pull of arousal that seemed to gather inside her, aching to be released.
“Cole?” she said, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
“Yes?”
“I want to touch you. Is that all right?”
“Is that all right?” He chuckled softly, finding it hard to imagine a scenario under which the answer to that question would be no. “Yes, sweetheart. That’s all right. Just where would you like to touch me?”
She turned her head and met his eyes, giving him a heavy-lidded look that told him the location as clearly as if she’d shouted it.
She placed her hand tentatively against his hip. He guided it downward until she’d wrapped it around his shaft. She squeezed gently, exhaling as she did, and Cole clenched his teeth.
Big mistake.
Her soft, delicate fingers exploring him, stroking the length of him, the breadth of him, were making him crazy.
“It’s big,” she whispered.
“That’s music to a man’s ears,” he said, a little breathlessly. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”
“Never.” Her voice was so soft, so awe-filled, so serious in response to his gentle teasing, that he thanked God he was the one here with her tonight instead of some other guy who might not know just how special she was.
She got a worried look on her face. “Are you sure it’ll—”
“What?”
She didn’t say anything for a long time.
“Fit.”
Cole smiled. He eased her onto her back. He smoothed a hand over her thigh, then moved it into the cleft between her legs. She gasped a little, but he touched his lips to hers in a calming kiss and moved his fingers deeper at the same time, delving into her wetness.
“Do you feel that, Ginny?”
“Yes,” she said quietly, sounding embarrassed. “I felt that before, in the bathroom that night. Is that, you know…”
“Normal?”
“Yes.”
“It’s just how things are supposed to be. It’s telling me you want me. And it’s why fitting won’t be a problem.”
Then she touched him again, more boldly this time, squeezing him with those soft, soft fingers, and he knew it was time. Now.
He rose onto his knees, then moved between her legs. A look of apprehension came over her face.
“Don’t be afraid, Ginny. I’m going to take it easy.”
“I’m not afraid.”
But he knew better. He could feel how nervous she was. He lowered himself to her, pressing against her without entering her, kissing her at the same time, waiting until he felt some of her tension drain away. Then he rose again and pulled her knees up. He came forward a bit and stopped, poised at her opening.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, his breathing almost obscuring his words, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
“I might, but if I do, it’ll only be for a moment.”
Then he slid into her. She gasped sharply.
“Ginny? Should I stop?”
“No!” she said, clutching his shoulders. “Don’t stop! Please! I want to feel it!”
He continued moving inside her, slowly at first, trying so hard to be gentle. To his surprise, after a moment he felt her hips move, and soon she’d caught his rhythm. Her eyes drifted closed, and her breathing accelerated. He thrust a little harder, a little faster, trying to hold back at the same time he wanted to fill her completely. A fire burned deep inside him, pulsing in sync with his thrusts and the rocking of her hips.
“Ah, Ginny…”
His voice was nothing but a raspy whisper. He couldn’t say what he wanted to, anyway. He had no words for it. The closeness he felt to her was overpowering, the feeling of being inside her, thrusting, possessing, needing her so much—how could he possibly explain that to her?
She moaned softly. “Cole, I feel…like before—”
“Ginny, you’re so tight, I don’t know if I can—”
“Please, Cole,” she breathed. “More. Now.”
He thrust faster, deeper, still fighting the inevitable, and a moment later he heard her sharp intake of breath. She froze, her body clamping hard around him. A flash of indescribable pleasure overtook him, and in the same moment he realized that she was there with him, clutching him, crying out, rocking hard against him, and he held her tightly as they rode the waves of pleasure together.
After the last tremors had finally subsided, he slid out of her, fell to one side and pulled her into his arms. She burrowed against him, her breathing still harsh and irregular, but as he caressed her in long, calming strokes, slowly it returned to normal. He thought maybe he ought to say something, but she lay so peacefully against him that he couldn’t bear to speak.
The very idea that he’d ever thought her plain or unattractive was inconceivable to him now. Her hair shimmered in the dim light, and her eyes, with their flecks of gold, sparkled like rare jewels. She had the sweetest, softest little body he’d ever touched, round in all the right places, seemingly made just for him.
They drifted off to sleep, their legs tangled, their naked bodies twined together. A vague thought floated through his mind that he’d never made love to a woman without having had the urge to bolt the minute it was over. But now a feeling of complete contentment overcame him, and if he had his way, he knew he would lie here with Ginny forever.
THE NEXT MORNING Ginny woke to bright sunlight filtering through the curtains. She was lying on her back with Cole’s arm draped carelessly across her just beneath her breasts.
You’ll feel differently afterward, and I’m not sure you’re ready for that.
She quietly pushed back the covers, leaving him sleeping, then went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. For a full five minutes, she leaned against the shower wall, water streaming down her body as she fought the wonderful, terrible feeling that Cole was right.
She was in love with him.
No, she couldn’t be. After all, she didn’t even know what that felt like. Lust she knew. She’d felt enough of that in the past couple of months that she’d recognize it anywhere, anytime. But love? What did that feel like?
As if she wanted to stay in his arms forever. As if she wanted to lie in bed with him every night of her life. As if she didn’t see him again this minute, she just might perish on the spot.
After a moment, she turned off the shower, then pulled back the curtain. Cole was waiting for her.
Naked.
He smiled. “Good morning.”
Before she could step out of the shower, he stepped in. He turned on the water again, swept her into his arms, his hands and his lips everywhere at once. And before long, all her apprehension melted away.
You’re a silly little fool. You’d fall in love with any man who made love to you for the first time.
She tried to make herself b
elieve that. Tried so hard, because then it would have been easier to convince herself that when the end of their time together came, she shouldn’t give Cole another thought.
But she knew it was more than that. In the past few months, she’d seen past the face he showed to the world and had looked right into his heart, whether he’d planned on revealing it to her or not.
And that was the man she’d fallen in love with.
14
NOVEMBER on the ranch brought the final disappearance of fall colors, with brilliant orange and yellow giving way to bare tree branches and pale-brown grassland. They were preparing for winter, bringing horses in from outer pastures, stocking up on hay. Fortunately, late fall also meant cooler temperatures, which Cole welcomed.
He came home one evening to find Ginny sitting at the kitchen table, writing on a pad of paper while something bubbled on the stove. He’d had a hard day hauling hay, and all he could think about right now was getting a shower, having dinner and dragging Ginny to bed.
She turned around with a bright smile. “How would you like to go camping?”
Cole stopped dead in his tracks. Camping? He couldn’t think of anything he’d like to do less.
“We could go this weekend. Stay Friday and Saturday nights. We could camp and fish and have cookouts and watch the sunset and all that other outdoor stuff. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Actually, no. It sounded like hell on earth. “Come on, Ginny. I spend all day every day outdoors. Indoors the rest of the time suits me just fine.”
“But I’ve never been camping before. I really want to go. I’ve made a list right here of everything we’ll need.”
“Where’d you get such an idea?”
“I saw the camping gear down at the barn, and Murphy said it’d be okay if we used it.”
Murphy. He should have known. Was that man destined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of his life? Ginny was looking at him with that sweet little expression of hope, the one that said he would feel like a heel if he said no.
“So?” Ginny said. “Do you want to go?”
“Do you have any idea how cold the nights are this time of year?”
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