by Lynda Chance
He took more kisses from her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, Travis. It didn't hurt at all." The words were almost a whisper.
His voice was deep. "It hurt you. You just didn't notice because you were coming.
The pleasure dulled the pain. Pleasure is the perfect anesthetic."
He rolled onto his side and took her with him. Their bodies disconnected and Selena felt a twinge of discomfort and grimaced.
He noticed. "See, you are hurting. Baby, I'm sorry--Jesus Christ!" He looked down and saw more blood than he had anticipated. Her eyes started to follow his, and he grabbed her chin and held it in place. "Don't look."
Selena frowned. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to be upset." He stood up and in one controlled movement, grabbed her hand and swept her to her feet. He picked her up and headed to the pond with her in his arms. He waded into the water, and only dropped her to her feet when he was up to his waist.
She clutched at him immediately. The water swirled around her chest and she wrapped her arms all the way around him. "Travis, I cannot swim." Her words came in small gasps.
He held her safely by the arms, and his grip tightened. "Why the hell not?"
"Because I am afraid of deep w-water."
"Why didn't you tell me that this afternoon when I suggested coming to the pond?"
She blushed. "I for--forgot. I was thinking of other things."
Yeah. He knew what she was thinking of. "Well, we'll have to remedy that problem.
But not today. I've got other things on my mind."
He reached down and lifted her face to his. His deep, velvet brown eyes captured her violet ones. "Thank you, Angel."
She gave him a sweet smile. "You are welcome, Travis. What are you thanking me for?"
He reached down between them into the water and found the liquid heat between her thighs. He palmed her firmly. "For my wedding present. The gift of your virginity will be a special memory that I'll take to my grave. You've truly humbled me."
Selena heard his tender words, but the heat he was making between her thighs threatened to burn out of control. She tried to answer him. "Mmmm…"
He slipped a finger inside her. This time, he didn't have to be as careful. She clung to him and moved against his hand. He bent down and lapped at her nipple. Within moments, they were both on fire.
He moved his hands to her waist and lifted her. "Wrap your legs around me."
Selena did as he ordered, and clung to his shoulders as he began pushing inside of her, taking small, jerky thrusts. Finally, he was seated in her completely. He groaned at the tight fit. "Oh God, yeah. That's it." He held her firmly by the butt, both hands wrapped around and underneath her. He controlled the movement of her body. He lowered his head. "Put your breast in my mouth."
Shock and anticipation swept through Selena. She didn't hesitate, and in seconds he was sucking at her nipple, manipulating her up and down as the thrill of sexual excitement arced between them.
Within moments they had both reached a peak, and were coming together, finding each other's lips and fusing their mouths together. Their tongues entwined as the pleasure rushed through them, straining together as one.
When Travis came back down to earth, he was careful to keep a tight hold on Selena, so she would feel safe in the water.
He waded back out of the pond, carrying her in his arms.
Chapter Nine
Three weeks later, Travis was going over the accounts when the phone call came.
He answered, tension gripping him. He knew who was calling. "Blake."
"Yeah, I've got the information you're looking for." The man on the other end of the line didn't waste any time. "The old man died a few years ago, but the grandmother is still alive. And she's not all that old, Travis. She's sixty-five. And she seems to be in good health, man." The running commentary stopped for a moment.
The news hit Travis with equal feelings of gladness and trepidation.
"Yeah, okay. Where's she living?"
"She's living in Fredericksburg. With all the other rich retirees."
"She's rich, then?" Travis was beginning to feel things that he didn't want to admit to.
"Oh yeah, she's rich." There was a pause. "And hold onto your hat, buddy. She knows about her grandchildren. She doesn't know the brother is dead yet, and she's got all her money in a trust for the two of them."
A sick feeling slid down Travis's spine. It felt an awful lot like fear. "So she's not only going to be glad to see Selena, she's going to want a relationship with my wife."
"For sure, man. I can't figure out what sent her son running off to Mexico all those years ago, but the lady is all into philanthropy and she has a good reputation among the locals. I'm warning you man, she's going to want your wife."
Travis took down the contact information for Selena's grandmother, thanked him for the information, and hung up the phone.
He sat down behind his desk and put his head in his hands and thought about the situation. He knew Selena was content here, but just how happy was she? And how much of it was from choice, and how much from circumstance? He wasn't going to lie to himself now. He had held onto her with a tight fist from the first day she had walked onto his ranch. He had kept her here solely for himself and had callously manipulated her into marrying him.
He thought back to that day, three weeks ago in Laredo, after he had bought the rings. He told her what his expectations of marriage were, and then he had knowingly stoked her fear by telling her he would drop her off at a hotel by herself and leave her there alone. Shit. What kind of a low life son of a bitch was he? He could easily have helped her find a job, and find a safe, decent place to live. He had people all over Laredo who owed him favors. But had he offered that? Had he given her that choice? Hell no. He ruthlessly and methodically scared the crap out of her so she would marry him.
And since that day three weeks ago, he hadn't let her get far from her tether. He liked it best when she was glued to his side, barefoot in his kitchen or naked in his bed. It helped that she really didn't have a choice. She didn't have any money of her own, even though he continually offered to buy her whatever she wanted. She seemed content to stay on the ranch, and he knew with absolute conviction that she was happy in his bed. He had made sure of that. But what real choice had he given her? None. Nada. He had chained her to him, stolen her virginity, and mercilessly used her for his own purposes. It had all been about him. What he wanted. He had set out from day one to make her totally dependent on him. For everything. For money, for food, shelter and clothing, and now he had taught her to crave the sex he could give her.
Jesus Christ, he had even been doing his damndest to get her pregnant. He could deny it to himself all he wanted, but the truth was that every time he came in her, he had an agenda. An agenda that included her barefoot and pregnant with his child.
If she had his child, he had her. Forever. She wouldn't leave him if she had his baby.
How damn selfish could a man be? He had written the book. He had taken one look at her and that was it. He wanted her and so he took her. And he would be goddamned if he would give her up now.
His stomach churned like battery acid eating his insides. How could he hope to keep her when she met her grandmother? An old lady who loved her already and had always wanted to know her. Selena's sad story of violence and heartache would clinch the deal. She would offer Selena a home if she ever needed one, and the minute Selena had a way out of this hellhole with him, she would take it.
Hell, why wouldn't she? He was a mean son of a bitch, constantly demanding her attention, constantly showing jealousy, constantly getting his way.
His mind supplied him with a vision of the night they went to bed together after they had made love at the pond. She was so beautiful, coming from the bathroom, clean and fresh wearing one of the new pale pink nightgowns. He had stopped her in her tracks, his voice vibrating with arousal. Get it off. Her footsteps stalled. Wh- What?
Her voice had been hesitant, and he had growled back at her. Take the nightgown off. I want to see you coming to me naked. She paused and shook her head .
Selena. Now.
Shit. The memory shamed him. He had taken her virginity that day, and that night, he had terrorized her. He was not only going to lose her, he was going to go to hell.
****
Selena played with the little skunks and laughed out loud as she watched them.
They were big enough now to play with the kittens. Sometimes the kittens got too rough, and she had learned the hard way that the skunks would spray the kittens if they got out of hand. She hadn't actually gotten sprayed herself, but she had just escaped to the front of the barn when that little tail pointed up in the air. The mother cat was worn out from trying to get the scent off all five of the little ones.
Selena continued to watch their antics while she tried to count the date. She knew her last period was after the episode when Travis thought she was ill. Right before they were married. Right before they began making love. Without protection, at her instigation. She was always very regular. Every twenty-eight days, like clockwork.
Was yesterday the day she should have been sick in bed? Or was it today? Could she be pregnant already? She supposed she could. Many women got pregnant on the first try. And they were trying. No words had been spoken since that first time when they hadn't used a condom. But she knew. She knew he wanted a baby just as much as she did.
She thought about having Travis's baby. My God, nothing would make her happier.
Well, unless she had his baby and he told her he loved her. She had started to tell him many times, but she was always scared. She was scared he would think she was pushing for something he couldn't give her. Or something he believed he couldn't give her.
She thought about the way he acted toward her, the gentle way he treated her. She remembered the fit he had thrown weeks ago before they were married, the day she brought lunch to him in the field. What he had said. I tell you what, Angel, you let me take you back to the house, strip you naked every night. You sleep in my bed, and we'll see just how nice I can be.
She smiled at the memory. He had terrified her then. But a few short weeks later, she understood. She was sleeping naked in his bed every night, and he had shown her how nice he could be. Not that he probably even remembered the conversation, but he was right. The difference in him was amazing. Astounding.
He held her every night. Naked. A thrill went through her when she remembered how he had demanded she join him in bed, naked. He made love to her every night, usually twice, and sometimes during the day. Sometimes he was so gentle, worshipping her body with his mouth and his hands that she almost cried. Other times, he was demanding and aggressive, provoking her orgasm with a domination and control she couldn't think to resist.
He was undoubtedly the lover of her dreams. He was definitely the husband of her dreams.
Since they had gotten married, she could do no wrong with him. She had twice forgotten his dinner in the oven while she played with the skunks, and twice he had watched her throw it down the garbage disposal, and then helped her make sandwiches. She had accidently erased a whole evening's worth of his work on the computer, and he had pulled her onto his lap and asked her if she had been thinking of him when she made the mistake.
The only time he got testy was when he demanded her attention and she didn't oblige him fast enough. Leave that. You can clean the kitchen tomorrow, while I'm moving the herd. He had taken her hand and forcefully dragged her away from the kitchen. She thought he was going to take her to bed. She smiled at the memory.
He pulled her to the couch, and held her in his arms while they watched television.
She played with the little skunks, stroking them lightly, and decided she would wait to tell him that she thought she was pregnant until she knew for sure.
****
Two days later, Selena finished up in the kitchen and moved to the living room and watched Travis staring blankly at the computer screen. She walked into the room.
"Travis, what is wrong with you? Has something happened?" She walked around the desk and sank to her knees next to him.
He swiveled the chair toward her and she placed her hands on his knees. He didn't answer.
She spread her fingers on his thighs and studied him. "You seem different. Have I angered you?"
Travis felt her magic flow through him. Her question registered on his brain. He spread his legs and pulled her toward him. "No, Angel. You haven't done anything wrong. How could you? You're perfect." His hand closed in her hair.
"Perfect? Ha. You are funny." She smiled the smile of a seductress. Her hand moved toward his zipper. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I would like to be perfect for you." Her hand rubbed over him. "What would make me perfect?"
Travis felt his heartbeat accelerate as her witchery surrounded him. Every day, she learned a little more about the feminine control she had over him. He had been tutoring her relentlessly in her sexual education. His efforts had been yielding unfathomable rewards. But there was still one thing she hadn't learned to do for him. He hadn't pushed it. Hadn't needed to. Everything else they shared was amazing.
But he wanted it now.
Wanted it bad.
His voice deepened in arousal. "You want me to show you how to be the perfect wife, baby?"
Her hand pressed against him. "Mmm. Yes, please."
He leaned back in the chair. "Well, first off, you need to be naked for this." He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her.
She slid gracefully to her feet, and started unbuttoning her shirt, from the top to the bottom. She shook it off her shoulders. Her nipples thrust provocatively against her pink lace bra.
Travis silently congratulated himself on her undergarments.
She went to work on her shorts. His voice made her pause. "Did you remember to lock the back door?"
She unsnapped the button. "Yes." She slid down the zipper and pushed the shorts off her hips and stepped out of them. She had on matching pink panties. He felt his erection swell and pulse.
She stood in between his legs and teased him. "You do not like the pink? You want it off?"
" Si, baby, I want it off."
Travis watched the striptease performed for his benefit. The metamorphosis she was undertaking was amazing. She was completely captivating, her beauty exquisite.
He thought about the situation that had been like a thorn in his side.
Yeah, there was no fucking way he was giving her up.
He found her. He seduced her. He married her. She was his.
Selena unsnapped the clasp at the front of her bra. It loosened, but her breasts were so small, that it held, only showing a tiny glimpse of flesh on the bottom of her right breast.
Travis groaned out loud.
She took another step forward until her chest was only inches from his face. She wrapped one arm across her breasts, hiding them, cupping them, and took her other hand and slid one shoulder strap down and off.
Then she traded arms, and continued to hold the bra to her breasts while she removed the other strap.
She held the bra to her naked breasts and leaned forward and licked his lips once, then stepped back. "I am perfect, yes?" She teased him.
"Almost. Keep going." His voice was guttural.
Selena looked him in the eye, wet her lips, and dropped the bra to the floor.
Allowing him to look for two heartbeats, she teased him purposefully, then delicately turned her back to him. She still stood between his legs, and put her hands on each side of her waist and slid them down slowly until they reached her panties. She pushed them down, bending at the waist, and slid them off, one leg at a time.
Travis steeled himself, his eyes running over her curves.
She turned to face him, her violet eyes provocative. "I am perfect, yes?"
"Almost. Come here," he hissed, and reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.
His hands landed on her hips and he gripped her, hard.
Her arms wrapped around his neck. "I want to be the perfect wife," she whispered to him.
Travis rubbed his hands up and down her hips and said indolently, "A perfect wife would be on her knees right about now."
She dropped to her knees in front of him.
Her hands landed on his thighs and she swirled one up and over the erection pulsing in his jeans.
"Would a perfect wife wait for more instruct--instructions?"
"No." He jerked the word out, and her hands went to work on his fly immediately.
She pulled at the snap, and moved down his zipper. He bulged against his briefs, his erection straining to be released.
Selena accommodated him immediately. She eased him out of his briefs and started pushing at the jeans that were stopping her from getting to him completely.
He reached down and helped her shove them off.
She undid the buttons of his shirt, one by one, kissing his chest as she moved down. At the last button, she wrapped her hand around his straining erection and raised her head and gave him a tiny, tantalizing smile.
He felt it all the way to his soul.
She kissed him softly on the lips and began the slow stroking with her hand that he had taught her. Travis felt her magic surround him as anticipation and lust swirled through his guts.
He knew she didn't realize what he wanted. Jesus Christ, she probably had never heard of it.
She continued the firm little strokes, and Travis closed his eyes once again and experienced her wholesome innocence.
He sat back in the chair, enjoying her ministrations, and struggled with himself. Her sweetness captivated him completely. During the last three weeks of their marriage, he had done everything to her in bed. Touched her in every way. Kissed and stroked every inch of her body. She had been shocked, so shocked, but she loved what he did to her.
She would want to know all of it. She would want that feminine power over him.
Travis took deep breaths as she moved her hand against him, and she swirled her tongue lazily down his chest.