by Becky Lower
“Do you remember what you said when you removed them from your ears and placed them in the pot?” James helped Elise attach her new trinkets to her ears.
Then he kissed that delicate spot behind her ear, making her shiver. “Yes, of course. I said ‘These have always brought me luck.’”
James’s lips left her ear and scorched a path across her cheek until he found her lips. The kiss, gentle at first, became possessive and demanding as their mouths devoured each other. Their tongues dueled as they explored each other’s mouths with a burning hunger. His hand rolled down from her neck to her breast and he cupped its fullness in his hand, teasing her nipple until it hardened. Her little moan in the back of her throat made his manhood spring to attention. Even the stallion ceased his pacing and stared at them.
James stepped away from the temptation. He’d have to take her here on the ground if he lingered any longer and not only the stallion was checking on them. The hairs on the back of his neck stood as erect as his shaft, telling him one of the brothers wasn’t far away. With a sigh, he took another step back. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. He ran his hand down one of the dangling earrings and kissed her again. “Perhaps these new and better earrings will bring us even more luck.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Luck brought us together and luck will always be our companion. Now, let’s finish our stroll before I turn in. I want to be refreshed as I walk down the aisle to you.”
“Are you going to tell me what you will wear?” James toyed with the earring, simply so he could make her shiver again by caressing the sensitive spot behind her ear.
Elise brought her body close to him as they reached the porch of the ranch house. “It is never good luck to have the groom know what his bride has selected to wear before the ceremony.” She whispered and enjoyed a final good night kiss.
“I only ask because I hope whatever you put on is easy to get out of, because it won’t stay on your body long. I plan to strip you and have my way with you before tomorrow afternoon.” James whispered in return before he kissed her throat. She took to her bed with her body humming. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
• ♥ •
James had never given much thought to what kind of wedding ceremony he’d eventually play a starring role in. But even if he had given in to introspection, he would not have ever envisioned a ceremony such as the one he was taking part in right now. Elise’s brother, Etienne, played a flute while his wife gently beat a drum as the guests gathered in the large back yard of the Lafontaine home.
Chairs had been placed for the participants and the grassy aisle carved down the center had been left unadorned. Simple and beautiful, matching the surroundings. Matching the bride. James shook his head. Elise might have simple tastes, preferring gauchos to ball gowns, but she was far from simple. She was the most complex, intriguing woman he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting, and a lifetime with her wouldn’t be long enough to fully understand her.
He took his place at the front alongside her brother Gaston. James had chosen Gaston as his best man for a number of reasons. He was the least fierce of the brothers, in James’s opinion, both in looks and in personality. In the two weeks since the capture of the pair who had stolen from Emil Lafontaine, James had developed a friendship with the man. And he was the last remaining single brother. “I’m surprised you’re not carrying a shotgun.” James’s gaze lingered on Gaston for a minute.
“Thought about it, but I have seen you with our sister. You will not consider escaping anytime soon.” Gaston leaned over and whispered in James’s ear. “Prepare to be amazed. Your bride approaches.” The flute and drum increased in volume and James pivoted his head to the back of the aisle.
On the arm of her father, Elise was resplendent in a white deerskin dress, which fit close to her body and accentuated her curves, ending in fringe that swished lightly against her calves. Feathers and beads adorned the bodice, adding drops of color to the front of the gown. The neckline was scooped, and James’s heartbeat soared when he spied the ruby necklace from the riverboat around her throat. The new ruby earrings dangled from her lobes and her lovely hair had been swept back from her face, held in place with a set of tortoise-shell combs. A wreath of wildflowers encircled her head.
James had to swallow several times before he could get enough moisture in his mouth to murmur to Gaston. “Amazed, I am.”
The moccasins on Elise’s feet made no sound as she stepped forward to her future. The moment she caught James’s eye, her own eyes filled with tears. James hoped the moment would last forever. Then, his plans for his wedding night filled his head. He couldn’t say “I do” fast enough.
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
San Francisco
James glanced up from the mound of paperwork on his desk when he made out the unmistakable boot heels of his wife. Elise stopped in the doorway to his office and he took a moment before rising to drink her in.
Since their marriage twelve months ago, they’d moved to San Francisco and begun the import/export business James had dreamed of since leaving the military.
They’d had a year of wedded bliss, but familiarity hadn’t lessened his desire for his wife. If anything, all their nights of lovemaking had only intensified his need for her. Poised in the doorway, as if she were a picture in a frame, he feasted on the lovely vision she presented. She wore the ruby earrings he’d bought for the wedding and they complemented her dusty complexion, her high cheekbones, her startling deep blue eyes and her gorgeous hair, which had grown back. Not to her waist as it had been when he met her, but now, at least, it reached to her shoulder blades. When she arranged it into two plaits on either side of her head, she truly resembled the Indian side of her heritage.
He finally stopped gawking at her and forced his body to respond, rising to meet her. He encircled her waist and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. His hands roamed over her body, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples. Her little gasps of pleasure spurred him on, and he rubbed his hardening shaft up against her before placing his leg between hers and settling into the sweet spot he’d become all too familiar with. He backed her up a few steps until she was against the wall and lifted her skirts before he undid his trousers front, freed himself and plunged into her willing body. She shivered, moaned, and wrapped her legs around him. They found a familiar rhythm, and within minutes, gasped to a conclusion.
As their breathing evened out, James tugged Elise’s skirts down and buttoned his trousers. “Hello, sweetheart.”
She kissed his neck and nuzzled his earlobe. “I’m certainly glad your business isn’t big enough yet to have employees. We would have embarrassed them.”
James found the spot behind her ear that never failed to make her gasp and licked it. “Or made them envious, maybe.” He stepped back a pace, but still held her in his arms. “What brings you here in the middle of the day?”
She bit her lip and scooted out of his embrace. “I brought you some lunch. And, I’ll admit I was just a bit homesick and needed to be near someone I love for a few minutes.” Her eyes filled with tears. “We were only starting out last Christmas, and we have far too much going on now to even try to get away this year. But can we start making plans now to be in St. Louis next year at Christmas?”
“Sweetheart, if you want to be with your family, you can visit any time you want. Do you wish me to book a seat on the train for you now?” James tugged Elise to his chest again and kissed her tear-stained cheeks.
She shook her head. “No, you’re missing my meaning. You’re my family now, and I don’t wish to be anywhere else except with you. But next Christmas, I hope we can plan a visit to my folks, since we’ll have a big present for them.”
James’s brow furrowed as he caressed Elise’s cheek. “What kind of present could we possibly have that we couldn’t send to them?”
“How about a new grandchild?” Elise’s face broke into a smile, but her tears still flowed.
&nbs
p; Tears of happiness this time. James’s eyes watered, too, as he held his precious wife. He fought for the words he wanted to express his joy. “I thought you’d given me everything I’ve ever wanted, sweetheart, by agreeing to be my partner. And now, to give me the gift of a son or daughter is beyond anything I’ve ever wished for. Thank you for taking a gamble with me.”
Elise laughed. “And I must finally thank Madeline.”
James’s eyebrow rose. “For what, pray tell?”
“For letting you go. For not believing in you. For not tracking you down once she learned the truth.” Elise kissed his raised brow.
James hugged Elise hard, and rubbed his hand over her still-flat belly. “When will our little one make an appearance?”
“In the spring. So the baby will be about eight months old when we travel. A perfect age.” Elise caught James’s hand and held it on her stomach.
“Have you given any thought to a name for this gift?” James’s hand grew warm and other parts of his body began to heat up again, as well.
Elise wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and drew him in for a kiss. “I thought either Jack or Slick for a boy. Do you care for either name?”
“Tell you what. You can name our boy Slick only if we can name our daughter Madeline.” Elise batted at his hands as James backed her up against the wall again, and began to unbutton her blouse. “I thought your breasts were a bit heavier this morning. I need to explore further.”
He opened the blouse completely, only to find the ruby necklace and its large center stone nestled in the valley between her breasts. “You are a vixen. You say you came here only to bring me lunch and news of our child, but I know what you really had in mind.”
Elise glanced up at him from under her eyelashes, and flashed him a sensuous smile. “So what’s the holdup, Slick?”
He growled at her. “You could help by assisting me in the removal of my pants.”
She laughed. “Yes. You did once tell me I could get you out of your pants any time I wanted. Let’s hold you to that.”
And she proceeded to lower his pants and the two of them to the floor. Life in San Francisco had turned out to be everything he had hoped for. And a whole lot more. From the moment Elise first pleaded with her eyes for help from him, he’d been her willing accomplice. And now, with a child on the way, he had more reasons to applaud his decision. The biggest gamble he’d ever made also had given him the biggest payoff he could have ever imagined.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the United States in search of great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two people finding each other and falling in love amid the backdrop of a great setting, be it in America on a covered wagon headed west or in Regency England. Her Cotillion Ball Series features the nine children from an upscale New York family prior to and during the Civil War. Her first Regency, A Regency Yuletide, received the Crowned Heart and has been nominated for the prestigious RONE award from InD’Tale Magazine. A regular contributor to USA Today’s Happy Ever After section, her books have been featured in the column on nine separate occasions. Becky loves to hear from her readers at [email protected]. Visit her website at www.beckylowerauthor.com
William Myers feels it’s his duty to answer the call to fight for the Union Army—but his wife, Susannah, doesn’t agree. How does he expect her to survive with four small children in the cold Ohio winter during the three-month enlistment period? Angry and abandoned, Susannah learns soon after William leaves that she is also pregnant again.
Raoul Lafontaine is a half-Ojibwa, half-French-Canadian drifter who is more Indian than white. Also known as Lone Wolf, he has recently left the Ojibwa village in search of a fair-haired woman both he and his grandfather have seen in visions. She is important to him—but how? He will never allow himself to care for another—not after losing the wife he loved so much.
But Raoul could not have planned for the sizzling emotions that surface when he comes near Susannah, nor the love he feels for her children. When he realizes that Susannah returns his feelings, he knows he must leave—for how can he stay close by knowing she can never be his? William will return to his homestead, and they’ll once again be a family. One in which Raoul has no place. Or does he?
Will Fate relent and grant the love between Susannah and Raoul in this DANCE WITH DESTINY?