by Burton, Mary
His body looked as if it had been forged from marble. A Greek god. Every sinewy muscle well defined under his taught skin. Her mouth watered at the sight of him. “You are beautiful,” she whispered.
The yearning inside her made her bold. She reached for his belt buckle and unclasped it. She unbuttoned his pants.
He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips. White teeth glistened in the soft light. “Ah, lass, be careful. We don’t want this adventure over before it starts.”
She nibbled her lip. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Nay.”
“Show me what you like,” she whispered.
He tugged the ribbons between her breasts and released the gauzy fabric. Without hesitating, he tugged the fabric free and let the chemise fall. She slid off her pantaloons and stepped out of them. She stood naked in front of him, but felt no shame. In fact, nothing had ever felt more right.
Ben picked her up and carried her to his bed. He laid her on the clean blankets and quickly stripped his pants off.
Seeing him fully naked, aroused, gave her pause. The full weight of what was to come hit her.
Tonight she would commit herself to this man. Once they made love there’d be no going back. She would love him forever and always.
And her love would be stronger than any vow.
The mattress sagged under his weight as he lay beside her, the gleam in his eye sure and knowing. “I don’t want you to think about him.”
Startled she met his gaze. “What?”
He tipped her chin up so that her gaze met his. “I won’t ever hurt you. It will be good between us.”
His features had softened. She could see that he cared for her. “I know that it will.”
“If you aren’t ready, we can wait,” he said softly.
And she knew that he would. “I want this. I want this more than anything.”
He smoothed her hair off her face. “You are the beauty. A gift from Neptune himself.”
She laughed. “Like a mermaid.”
He traced his finger over her flat belly. “Nay, a beautiful siren sent to tempt my soul.”
“Ah, but if you heard my singing, you might not be so tempted.”
He chuckled, but the laughter in his eyes quickly turned serious. “I’ve not been the same since I first laid eyes on you.”
“Nor I you.”
He kissed her.
Rachel melted into the kiss. Her soul opened up, savoring the taste of him. The residual emotions from today’s rescue had heightened her senses, but this kiss, this wondrous kiss, sent her soaring.
She pulled her fingertips over his broad shoulders and down his back. He moaned, deepening the kiss.
Ben rose up on his elbows. He smoothed her hair back. “Your hair is like silk,” he muttered.
He kissed the tip of her nose, her chin and the hollow of her neck. Slowly he trailed kisses down her chest until he reached her breast. He suckled her nipple until it formed a hard peak.
Rachel arched back. She couldn’t think. This was deliciously wicked, sensual. She threaded her fingers through is thick hair. Slowly her hands trailed down his back. This time she cupped his buttocks.
He kissed her again, devouring her mouth. His legs brushed hers as he brought his knee up and gently prodded her thighs open. Opening her legs, she widened the breach. His hardness settled on her moist center, his flesh pressing against her.
He cupped her face. The gleam in his eye turned voracious. “Promise me.”
It took a moment for her mind to register that he’d spoken. Her body hummed with such excitement. She longed for a release she didn’t quite understand. “Anything.”
“Marry me,” he said.
He deserved the truth from her. Yet as she stared at his dark eyes, he began to move back and forth so that his hardness rubbed against her outer flesh. Common sense fled. She needed this one night with him. “I will love you forever with my whole heart.”
Her words caught him off guard. “You love me.” Pride laced each word.
“More than I thought possible.” And she did.
He moved on top of her, his actions impatient as if he wished to claim her for fear she’d vanish.
Rachel craved him. She arched her back, pressing her center to his. He pushed into her slowly. Her very tight folds wrapped around him. He expelled a breath, savoring her heat.
Slowly he began to move. His kisses had sparked a fire in her that exploded into a blaze. Her body throbbed with wanting. She raised her legs and wrapped them around him, accepting all that he had to offer.
When his fingertips moved to her moist center she thought she’d go mad with wanting. He moved inside her as he stroked her. The sensations welled up like a great tidal storm. And then, without warning, her senses exploded. She tipped over an imaginary line, calling his name as she fell into a hot, satisfying pool of sensations.
Ben groaned her name. He tensed and found his release, collapsing against her.
They fell asleep together, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Ben woke before Rachel. The sun had set and shadows shrouded the room. The fire crackled in the hearth.
He rolled onto his side and stared at her profile. The light from the fire flickered on her pale skin, her aquiline nose and full, rosy lips.
She’d come alive in his arms when they’d made love. He’d seen the shock and pleasure in her eyes when he’d touched her and then brought her passion into full bloom.
Rachel moistened her lips. Her breathing was deep and even. She enjoyed the kind of rest usually felt by only those with a light heart.
He traced her nose with his fingertip. “I will cherish you forever.”
Her eyes fluttered open. She focused on him and her gaze softened. “You are staring at me.”
Ben grinned. “I will never tire of looking at you.”
She touched her mouth. “I can’t imagine what I look like when I sleep. I hope I didn’t snore.”
He lifted a brow. “Yes, you did,” he teased. “In fact, you woke me.”
Shock widened her eyes. “You’re joking! Aren’t you?” Her cheeks reddened. “I never imagined myself a snorer.”
God, but she charmed him. He couldn’t let the farce continue. “You weren’t snoring, my love.”
She sat up on her elbows. The sheet fell away from her breasts. He forgot all about teasing. “Are you quite certain?”
His arousal hardened. He traced a circle around her nipple. It grew taught. “I promise, you are a quiet angel when you sleep.”
Her soft curls grazed the top of her shoulders. “Thank heavens.”
With a groan he pulled her down to the pillow. He straddled her. “I can’t get enough of you.”
She smiled, sliding her foot along his leg. His body burned.
He kissed her, losing himself in the taste of her. He felt her arms wrap around his neck. Her breasts pressed into his chest.
“I’ll never get enough of you, either,” she whispered. She opened her legs.
This time when he drove into her, a fever pulsed in his veins. Their coupling was quick, fast and hard. And very, very satisfying.
Just past midnight, Rachel awoke. Ben was dressed and kneeling by the hearth, lacing his boots.
Rachel sat up, holding the sheet over her breasts. “Where are you going?”
He lifted his head. White teeth flashed when he met her gaze. “I’ve got the midnight-to-dawn shift tonight.”
“I don’t want you to leave.” The bed already felt cold without him.
He rose and crossed to her. “I will be back before you wake again. Then we will have all day tomorrow to enjoy ourselves.”
The idea warmed her blood. “If only we could stay in this room forever. The world outside only complicates everything.”
He cupped her face. “The world gets in the way sometimes, but what is between us is simple and pure.”
She smiled. “Simple and pure.”
“I have something for yo
u,” he said. He opened the small drawer on the nightstand. He pulled out a tiny, black-velvet sack. He opened the drawstring and pulled out a delicate gold ring engraved with dogwood leaves. The gold glistened in the firelight.
Rachel sat straighter.
Ben took her left hand in his and placed the ring in the palm of her hand. “It belonged to my mother. It was her wedding ring.”
Rachel’s chest tightened. “Ben.”
“Rachel Davis, will you marry me?” He held the ring between his fingers.
She accepted the ring. The polished gold glittered in the firelight.
She had never felt happier. And more sad.
A heavy silence hung between them.
“It’s a simple ring,” Ben said.
“It’s a lovely ring.” For an instant she imagined the ring on her finger. She dreamed of a simple wedding in the village chapel, of babies…and of a long life together. “I can’t accept it.” She held the ring out to him.
He stance stiffened. “Why not?”
Tears pooled in her eyes.
“Is it this village? The life by the sea? Me?”
“It’s none of those.” Her throat tightened with emotion. “There’s something I never told you.”
“About him.” His voice was hoarse with anger.
“Yes.”
He knelt in front of her and laid his hands on her knees. “What he did to you is the past, Rachel. It can’t touch us.”
The tenderness in his voice nearly undid her. “Yes, it can.”
He wiped a tear from her cheek. “Tell me.”
She met his gaze. “I ran away.”
“I know.”
“From my husband.”
Ben stared at her as if he hadn’t heard her right. “Husband?”
“I am still married.”
The gentleness vanished from his eyes.
It pained her to know she’d robbed him of the joy he’d felt moments ago. She lifted her chin, refusing to cry anymore. “Peter and I have been married almost a year.” She wiped a tear from her face. “The abuse was subtle at first, but it got worse very quickly. The last day we were together he hit me so hard I lost consciousness. The next morning after he left for a business trip, I packed a bag and ran.”
“That’s why you were on the freighter.”
“Yes.”
Ben rose, his shoulders stiff. He jabbed his hands through his hair. “You should have told me.”
“At first I was afraid. And then, as I started to have feelings for you, I knew if I told you, you would look at me differently. I didn’t want to lose the connection between us.”
He shoved the ring into his pocket as if he couldn’t bear to look at it.
“Damn it, Rachel,” he muttered. “You should have told me.”
“I wanted to. But I was so afraid. Peter is a wealthy man. He’d pay dearly for my return.”
His jaw tightened, released, tightened again. “You should have trusted me.”
“I know.”
He strode toward the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To the light.”
“Will you be back?”
“At dawn.” He opened the door and paused. “Its best you pack your belongings and move into town. Ida will see that you have a bed.”
Without a word, he closed the door.
Peter arrived in the small coastal town minutes past midnight. The trip had been grueling. But he would keep going. He was too close to stop now.
The coachman set the brake and tied off his reins. “Waverly, North Carolina.”
Peter looked out the window. The town was pitch-black except for lanterns burning inside the tavern. Good. He’d asked them to wait up for him. So few people knew how to follow directions these days.
The coachman tossed Peter’s bag on the dirt road.
Peter cringed at the fool’s mistreatment of his luggage. The leather bag cost more than the cretin made in a decade. However, Peter kept his temper in check. He needed information.
He climbed down from the coach. His bones ached.
The town matched LaFortune’s descriptions exactly.
He was so close to his Rachel. So close.
Rachel was numb.
She didn’t remember dressing or collecting her few belongings. A lantern in her hand, she’d walked along the path toward the village. Ben had told her to leave in the morning, but she couldn’t bare to stay in his cottage another moment. Everything reminded her of him—his shirt draped over a chair, his scent on the sheets and his shoes lined up by the bureau.
She reached the town and walked down the sandy street toward Ida’s store. She tripped over a root and nearly stumbled.
Suddenly the tears that had been choking her throat for the last hour spilled. She sat on a crate in front of the inn. Great sobs shook her body. She stared up into the stars.
She’d lived for years without love. They’d been lonely, empty years, but never having tasted love, they had been tolerable. Now that her heart had opened, that she’d tasted true happiness, to go on without it…the loneliness stretched ahead of her as endless as the ocean.
A light came on in the store. She heard footsteps. Too exhausted to care, she didn’t bother to dry her eyes. The front door opened.
Ida. Her lantern glowed, illuminating her white nightgown. Her silver-gray hair hung in a long braid and she wore a shawl around her shoulders.
Rachel took in a breath. She sat straighter, but didn’t speak for fear she’d break down again.
Sighing, Ida moved out into the cold and sat next to her. “You two have been an accident waiting to happen.”
Rachel sniffed. “I’ve made a terrible mess of things.”
“What happened?”
“Ben asked me to marry him.”
“And you said no?”
She nodded.
Ida’s eyes narrowed. “You love him.”
Rachel wiped another tear from her face. “With all my heart.”
“But…”
“I’m married.”
Ida blew out a breath. “I knew it.”
“How?”
Ida pinched the bridge of her nose. “I saw myself in you.”
Rachel swiped a tear away. “I don’t understand.”
“My first husband wasn’t a good man. He was a drinker and when he had too much, he hit me.”
“What did you do?”
“For a time, I took it. Time came when I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. So I left him. I reached the point where I didn’t care about the scandal and I would have divorced him if I’d had the money. I got a job in town working in this very store. We lived separate lives for almost six years before he died. During that six-year stretch, I met my second husband. He owned the store. We were together for twenty happy years before I lost him.”
“Peter will not allow me to live without him.” Rachel told Ida about her marriage.
The old woman nodded, the lines in her face growing deeper.
“If I try to divorce Peter, he will find me. If he finds me, he will kill me.”
Ida tapped her foot. “Out here the laws of society have a tendency to blur. A man and woman who love each other…well, no one would ask too many questions if they decided to build a home together.”
“Ben wants marriage.”
“Ben loves you.”
“He’s so angry.”
“Give him time. Most men need to crawl off and sulk for a while. When their temper cools, they often see things differently.”
“I will never forget the look in his eyes.”
“Don’t let that look be the last memory you have of him, Rachel. Go back to the lighthouse and set things right.”
“Do you really think we can work this out?”
“I don’t know. But don’t you think you owe it to Ben and yourself to try? Let this chance pass and you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
Rachel nodded. “You’re right.”
Ida patted her on the knee. “Come inside and get a good night’s sleep. You can head back to the cottage first thing.”
Rachel shook her head. “No, I must do this now.”
“It’s nearly one in the morning.”
She glanced toward the lighthouse beacon. It flashed bright and strong. Ben was up there alone. Hurting.
“I’m going now.”
Ida’s gaze softened with respect. “Well, get a move on, girl.”
Rachel hugged the older woman. “Thank you.”
She hurried down the street. She was in such a rush she didn’t notice the shadow on the other side of the street. Or the fact that it moved behind her.
Rachel reached the end of the boardwalk and started toward the path when she heard the snap of a twig behind her.
An odd sensation stopped her in her tracks. She felt as if evil had passed by her. She turned.
Peter stood on the path. “Hello, Rachel. Miss me?”
Chapter Eighteen
Ben gripped the cold rail of the crow’s nest, staring out over the ocean. The icy wind stung his face. The lighthouse beacon flashed behind him.
Damn her! She’d had plenty of chances over the past six weeks to tell him about her husband. Husband. Dear God. She could have told him. Instead, she’d let him fall in love with her knowing she could never be his.
And damn him for ignoring the signs that had been in front of his face since the day he’d pulled her from the wreck. Hell, he’d challenged her about her widow’s weeds but she’d shouted that her husband had died.
The truth had been there all along and he’d looked the other way.
Restless, Ben turned from the ocean and went inside the lighthouse. He glanced up the narrow stairway that led to the giant Frensel lenses in the light chamber. They flashed bright.
His watch didn’t end for another four hours. He should stay. He’d never ignored his duty, even in the vilest weather. Yet, tonight, he didn’t care about duty or honor. He’d played by the rules of honor and lost first to the Navy and now Rachel.
He started down the one hundred and fifty-six steps. His heart pounded in his chest. Conflicting emotions, so strong now, robbed the breath from him. He thought only to get outside and to see Rachel.