Slowly, one by one, she took off her petticoats. With each movement, Jesse’s skin flamed hotter, until he felt as if he were on fire. His hands clenched tightly around the posts of the chair, his knuckles white with tension. Amy reached down and removed her shoes, then rolled down each stocking, her hands gliding along her legs. Jesse swallowed hard as her fingers went next to the ribbons of her chemise. She untied them and pulled the chemise off, and he could see the globes of her breasts swing free, high and firm, swaying with her movements. Heat flooded his loins, and his manhood swelled, pressing against his trousers.
Jesse wanted her so much he thought it might kill him. He could think of nothing but her, the beauty of her body and the sweet wonder of taking her. She untied her pantaloons and pulled them down, revealing her soft feminine shape entirely. Jesse was on fire, hard and throbbing. She reached for her nightgown. He began to walk to the bedroom.
He knew he should stop, should go back, but tonight he could not bring himself to listen to reason. He was drawn to her in a way that surpassed all reason, all thought. There was nothing in him right now but need. Jesse reached out his hand and took the edge of one sheet, pulling it aside.
Amy jumped, gasping, and instinctively jerked the nightgown in her hand up to her torso, partially concealing her nakedness. “Jesse!”
She stared at him, her eyes wide and startled, yet luminous. His eyes went down to her mouth, soft and pink, then farther down, to her bare shoulders and arms, above the nightgown crumpled to her chest. Her skin was just as satiny as he had known it would be, a lovely creamy white. His eyes moved down the line of her hips and legs. She was perfectly formed.
Hunger pulsed in him. He wanted to snatch away the gown and reveal all her body to him. He wanted to lay her down on the bed and crawl on top of her, to sink into her delicious softness.
“Oh, God, Amy…” He closed his eyes. He thought he might explode. “Please…I want you.”
Amy stared at Jesse’s tortured face. Her heart twisted within her. As much as she wanted him, as much as she had tried to get him to desire her, she had never intended that he feel the kind of pain that was in his eyes now.
“Jesse.” Tears clogged her voice. She didn’t know what to say. It occurred to her that she had done nothing but bring misery to this man whom she loved so much.
“I’m sorry,” he went on hoarsely. “I know I promised you, and I meant it. I— But, Lord, when I see you, I—I don’t think I can keep from making love to you.”
Amy forgot about concealing her boldness, about pretending that she did not feel the wanton desire that blossomed inside her. She could not think about the consequences, or about how Jesse’s feelings for her might change if he knew how she really felt. All she could see was Jesse and his anguish. All she could think of was easing it.
“Then don’t try to,” she said, dropping her nightgown to the floor.
Jesse blinked, unable to believe his ears or eyes. He stared at Amy’s naked body—slender and feminine, inviting. Blood roared in his head and coursed through his body. Amy was giving herself to him.
He started toward her. He half expected her to back away from him or blurt out that she didn’t mean it or even suddenly run away. But she did not. She simply stood, watching him with wide eyes.
There was something a little frightening about Jesse, Amy thought. Power and heat radiated from him intimidatingly, and there was something more—a wildness barely held in check. But that very wildness was exciting, too. It was a heady feeling to know that she had the ability to arouse him to such overwhelming desire.
Jesse stopped only inches from her. Carefully he put his hands on her shoulders. His fingers seared her skin. He gazed down into her eyes, his face taut, his eyes blazing bright green. Slowly he bent and sealed her mouth with his. Heat flamed up instantly in Amy, and she moved into him, her arms going around his waist. It was strange and rather titillating to feel his clothes against her naked flesh. Amy moved against him, provoking a deep groan from Jesse, and her nipples hardened as they rubbed against the cloth of his shirt.
His kiss was hungry and deep, and his hands slid over Amy’s body, as though he wanted to touch her everywhere at once. His tongue plunged deep into her mouth, and his fingers dug into her buttocks, lifting her up into him. The denim cloth of his trousers was rough upon her skin, and under it she could feel the hard insistence of his desire. She shivered, trembling with need for him.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, releasing her. “You’re cold.” He pulled down the bedspread and picked her up and settled her in the deep feather mattress. He reached down and jerked off his boots, then began to unbutton his shirt.
Amy was a trifle chilled, but she didn’t pull the cover up over her. She liked the way Jesse gazed at her all the time he was undressing, as if he could not get his fill of looking at her body. He peeled his shirt back off his shoulders and down his arms; when it stuck at the still-buttoned cuffs, he swore and yanked at it. Amy heard the buttons pop off and bounce across the floor. He unfastened his belt buckle and started on the metal buttons of his trousers, but then he broke off, as if he could not hold back a moment longer, and bent to kiss her thoroughly, his hands plunging into her hair. He pulled away and continued to undress, his eyes eating her up all the while.
Finally he finished and stood naked in front of her. Amy gazed at him in love and wonder. He was lean and ridged with muscle, his skin smooth and tanned. Amy longed to reach out and run her hand along the washboardlike expanse of ribs and muscles. It was like satin laid over rock. Her eyes drifted lower, to his flat abdomen and the naked, thrusting maleness riding between his legs. She drew in a shuddering breath.
“Oh, Jesse, how can—? Do you think it’ll work?”
Her naive remark drew a chuckle from him, despite the passion now tearing at his vitals. He climbed into the bed and lay down beside her, saying, “I’m not sure, sweetheart. I’ve never actually tried it. But I presume it must, given all the children that are produced.”
“Do you mean—?” Amy sat up, amazement stamped on her face, and she gazed down intently into his face. “Are you saying that you’ve never—?”
He shook his head, smiling faintly. “No. Disappointed?”
“No! I—” She began to smile. “It’s rather nice, actually, to know that you haven’t—that no other woman has…well, you know.”
“Yes, I know.” He stroked his knuckles down her cheek. “I feel the same about you.”
“It’s just, well, I suppose it would be better if one of us knew what they were doing.”
His grin grew broader, and he curved his hand around her neck, pulling her down toward him. “I think we’ll muddle through well enough.”
Amy melted into him, delighting in the feel of his naked chest against hers. Their mouths met and clung, and the heat that had abated slightly while Jesse undressed flared up with renewed force. Jesse rolled over, taking Amy under him. They kissed deeply, tongues entwining.
Jesse pulled his mouth free and rained kisses over her face and down her neck, murmuring, “Sweet, so sweet. I’m glad I have never lain with another woman. I want to learn every pleasure with you. I want every flicker of your desire to be for me.”
“It is,” she assured him, her hands sweeping down his back and buttocks onto his hair-roughened thighs.
His mouth moved lower, onto the soft curve of her breast, and Amy drew in her breath sharply.
His head came up, and he frowned in concern. “Did I hurt you?”
“No! Oh, no. Please…keep on.”
She moved a little beneath him, urging him on, and he quickly returned to what he had been doing. His mouth trailed across her breast, and his hand came up to cup it. Her nipple hardened at the soft, moist touch of his mouth, and Jesse stroked his thumb across the little bud, watching in fascination as it tightened even more. He teased the nipple with his thumb and forefinger, gently squeezing and caressing it until Amy’s breath was ragged and she was rolling her head restlessly from side to
side, eyes closed against the sweet, almost painful pleasure. Jesse looked at her face, drinking in the passion there, and then, at last, he lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth. Amy let out a shuddering moan as he began to suck, enveloping her sensitive nipple with moist heat as his mouth pulled gently at it.
Amy had never experienced anything like the hot tremors of sensation that ran through her now. Passion blossomed in her abdomen, turning it waxen and heavy. Heat throbbed between her legs, where she suddenly, embarrassingly, flooded with moisture. She clamped her legs together to ease the sensation, but it wasn’t enough; it wasn’t what she wanted.
But Jesse seemed to know exactly what she wanted. His hand slid down her smooth stomach and abdomen and into the tangle of curls there. His movement startled her, but she reacted instinctively, opening her legs. His finger slipped down between her legs, delving into the slick, satiny folds of flesh. Amy groaned and moved her legs restlessly.
Jesse lifted his head and looked down into her face as his fingers explored her; the desire on her face excited him almost past bearing. He leaned down and teased her other nipple into hot, pulsing life with his tongue, while his fingers searched her soft secret flesh, delving into her heat, until she was panting and writhing with passion.
“Please, Jesse, please,” Amy murmured.
Jesse moved quickly between her legs, lifting her buttocks and probing gently, his shaft instinctively seeking its home. He pushed into her, feeling her tighten at the pain. He wanted to stop, to not hurt her, but he was past that point now. He thrust into her, quick and hard, and she gasped, but now he was deep inside her, gloved by her sweet, tight femininity. Jesse groaned and took a long, slow breath, fighting the desire that threatened to swamp him. He had never felt anything so pleasurable, so good. It was as if he had found his home. His life.
He pulled back and plunged more deeply, sending waves of pleasure through them both. He tried to move slowly, but the pleasure was too intense, the passion too strong. It swept him along, making him move faster and faster. Amy was moving beneath him, panting, her fingers digging into his back. Her desire multiplied his, driving him higher and higher, until finally Amy convulsed around him, letting out a noise of surprised pleasure. Feeling her passionate release ignited his own, and Jesse cried out, releasing his seed into her and sweeping them both into a dark, mindless whirl of pleasure.
Finally Jesse rolled off her, curling his arm around her and cradling her head on his shoulder. They lay together silently, dazed by the storm of pleasure they had just experienced. Jesse turned his head to look into Amy’s eyes. She smiled shyly at him, suddenly a little embarrassed by what she had just done. Would he think her loose now? Overly bold? But he had enjoyed it; innocent as she was, Amy could not believe that she was mistaken about his response. Jesse had been in the grip of passion, and surely he would not blame her for feeling the same way. She remembered the words of desire he had spoken, the endearments he had murmured as he kissed and caressed her. Why, he had called her “sweetheart” and “love”! Hope fluttered in her chest.
Jesse smoothed a finger down Amy’s cheek. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “Even more beautiful than I imagined.”
Amy blushed and had to look away, thrilled by his words. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely audible.
“Thank you.” He kissed the top of her head. “You gave me a glimpse into heaven tonight.”
“Jesse! That’s blasphemous!” But she had to giggle, warmed by his words. She hesitated, then went on, “Did you really…enjoy it? Was it what you wanted?”
“Couldn’t you tell? Of course it was what I wanted. It was everything I have ever dreamed of.”
“I’m glad.” She looked at him with glowing eyes. “I was afraid you might be disappointed with me.”
“Don’t be absurd.” He brought her hand up and placed a kiss on the back and then on the palm. “You’re everything any man could want.” He spoke slowly, punctuating every word with a kiss on one of her fingertips.
He was quiet for a moment, and then he went on in a constrained voice. “What about you? Were you…content? I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
She shook her head, her hair brushing across his skin. “No. Only a little. And after the hurt, it was so wonderful.” Amy blushed furiously. “I didn’t know what to expect, what I would feel, but I never dreamed it would be like that.”
Jesse smiled and twisted down to kiss her lips. Then he lay back with a sigh of contentment. He gazed up at the ceiling, idly twisting a strand of Amy’s hair around his finger. Finally he asked softly, “Why did you—do that this evening? Why did you drop your nightgown and invite me in?”
“Oh. Were you upset with me?”
“For that? Good God, no, why would I be upset with you for giving me what I wanted?”
“I mean, because I so bold. I didn’t act much like a lady. But you looked so unhappy—I never meant to make you unhappy.”
“You made love with me because I looked unhappy? Because you felt sorry for me?”
“No. I didn’t say I made love with you because you were unhappy. I already wanted to do that. I said I dropped the gown tonight because I couldn’t bear to go on hurting you. Before then, I really hadn’t thought about whether I was causing you pain—you know, with the things I was doing.”
“Things you were doing?” he repeated, realization dawning in his voice. “You mean you did that on purpose?” Jesse sat straight up and gazed down at her in shock. “Un dressing in here with the lamp on? You meant for me to see that every night?”
Amy glanced at him uncertainly. “Yes. And the other things, like sitting too close to you while you studied and wearing rose water all the time.”
“My God.” Jesse rubbed his hands over his face. “I can’t believe this. All that time you were trying to get me to break down? You wanted to seduce me?”
“I’m sorry.” Amy’s voice trembled, and she bit her underlip. “Oh, please, Jesse, don’t be mad. I didn’t realize that it would upset you so. I just wanted you to love me, and I didn’t want you to think I was too bold. Mama and Corinne told me how men like to pursue a woman. I saw how you looked that time after we kissed, and you were so disgusted with me. When you said that it would never happen again, I didn’t want you to think I was loose and terrible. So I figured if I made all those things seem innocent, then maybe you wouldn’t be repulsed.”
“Repulsed!” He shoved his hands back into his hair. “I must be going mad. I was not repulsed by you. I never have been—I don’t think I could be. I didn’t sleep with you because I had promised you I wouldn’t! I couldn’t break my vow! And how could I try to seduce you, knowing that you loved another man?”
Amy frowned, looking puzzled. “Ano— Oh! You mean Charles Whitaker?”
“Yes. Charles Whitaker,” he agreed grimly. “Unless there’s someone else that you love lurking around.”
“Only you,” Amy replied simply. “I never loved Charles. I was infatuated with him for a time, but I never really loved him.”
But Jesse seemed to have heard only the first part of her statement. “Only me?” he repeated in a dazed voice. “Are you saying that you love me?”
“Of course! That’s what I’ve been talking about. That’s why I was trying to trick you into desiring me. The night we kissed, I realized that I loved you. I thought if I could make you want me, then maybe that desire would grow into love. I wanted you to love me. I wanted to be truly your wife. I wanted to have you kiss me again and touch me and—make love to me.”
Jesse groaned comically and flopped back onto the bed. He began to laugh, and Amy stared at him. “Oh, Amy, Amy…what a pair of fools we are! You didn’t have to seduce me into loving you. I already loved you! Why do you think I offered to marry you? Why do you think I never slept with any of the whores in town? I went there with the other hands, but when I got into a room with the girl, I looked at her and knew I couldn’t—because she wasn’t you. You were the only one I wan
ted. I’ve loved you for years, almost from the first moment I saw you.”
“Me?” Amy asked in disbelief. “You love me?”
“Yes!” He rolled onto his side, bracing his head on his bent arm. “Yes, I love you.” He leaned over and began to kiss her lightly all over her face and neck, saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Amy laughed out loud and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, Jesse, how can we have been so foolish?” She smiled brilliantly up at him.
Jesse bent to kiss her again, but he stopped abruptly. Amy frowned up at him, puzzled. “What is it? What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know. I thought—I thought I heard something.” He turned his head, listening. Suddenly his body went taut. “The horses! I did hear something.”
He got up and went over to the window, pulling aside the curtain and peering out into the night. “I don’t see anything….”
With an uneasy expression he turned back to her. “I better check.”
“What is it?” Amy sat up, clutching the sheet to her naked bosom, his sudden odd mood infecting her, too.
“I’m not sure.” Jesse quickly pulled on his trousers and shoved his feet into his boots. He grabbed his shirt from the floor, where he had dropped it earlier, and headed for the door.
Alarmed, Amy got out of bed and began to put on her clothes, too. She heard Jesse open the door, and then she heard a loud, abrupt oath from him, and he exclaimed, “The barn’s on fire.”
“On fire!” Amy ran to the window, and now she could see what Jesse had not been able to earlier: flames were licking up from the back of the barn, eerie and orange against the night sky.
She saw Jesse run across the yard toward the barn. She knew he would first run to save his horses. But then he would return to fight the fire, she knew, and her mind busily spun ahead to what she should do to help him.
Quickly she thrust her feet into her shoes, not bothering to tie them, and ran from the room. She finished buttoning her dress as best she could as she hurried into the kitchen and began pulling out her largest tubs and pots, as well as the pails in which she carried water and feed for the chickens. She carried them out to the pump outside.
The Wedding of the Century & Other Stories Page 20