by Alix Labelle
He held out his hand. “Come here to me, Rebecca.”
She shuffled forward, too afraid to look at his face now, and then his wonderful smell filled her head. This was Chris, the boy she’d loved for so long she couldn’t remember when he hadn’t been in her heart. She’d dreamed of this moment for years, and suddenly she was sobbing and running to him.
He caught her in his strong arms, lifting her off her feet as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s all right, baby. I’ve got you now. I’ve got you.”
Chris carried her over to big wooden crate, and sat down with her in his lap. For a long time he simply held her and let her cry against his shoulder, his big hands stroking her hair and shoulders and back. When her sobs finally dwindled away, he tipped up her chin and used a folded red bandana to mop up her tears. She couldn’t help wincing as he touched her sore cheek. Chris turned her face toward the light to examine the swollen spot.
His jaw tightened. “Who hit you?”
“It’s nothing.” Becca saw she had a death grip on the front of his jacket, and slowly took her hands away to fold them in her lap. “I don’t want to get you involved in my mess.”
“You’re in my barn, sitting on my lap, and crying on my shoulder. Baby, I am all kinds of involved.” Chris skimmed a fingertip along the curve of her bottom lip. “I swear, you’re ten times prettier since the last time I saw you.”
“Graduation day.” Becca twisted her fingers. “You asked to me sign your yearbook.”
“You said you left yours at home.” He brushed a damp strand of hair away from her cheek. “Then you reached up and kissed me on the cheek, and ran off. I almost came after you.”
Becca felt a burning flush crawl up her neck. “Why?”
“So I could kiss you back.” His vivid blue eyes shifted to her mouth.
She forgot to breathe for a moment. “So why didn’t you? Come after me, I mean.” Before he could answer she shook her head. “I know, it was my Dad. Everyone knew how strict he was, never letting me date or have a social life.”
“I always wondered why,” Chris admitted. “Wasn’t like you were a wild thing.”
“My mother was. She ran off with another man when I was just a baby.” She sighed. “When I got older, I started looking more like her. The more I did, the stricter Dad became – and you know how intimidating he was. Once he told me he’d rather see me dead than let me become a tramp like her.”
Anger flared in Chris’s eyes, but his touch remained gentle. “I’m so sorry.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t chase me down at graduation,” she admitted. “Even a kiss on the cheek would have made Dad go ballistic.”
“That’s the other problem.” He spanned her jaw with his hand. “I didn’t want to kiss your cheek, Rebecca Rose. I wanted those soft, sweet lips.”
“I’ve never been kissed,” she whispered.
“I know, baby,” he murmured back, his mouth only a breath from hers now. “I’d like to be your first, if you’ll let me.”
Tingling heat spread out through Becca’s middle, and she gripped his jacket again. “Oh, yes, Chris. Oh, please.”
His lips brushed over hers, hard and yet soft, and so gentle she wanted to moan. He kissed each corner of her mouth, and the little dip under her nose, and rubbed her lips with his until she parted them for him.
Nothing she’d imagined could have prepared her for the shocking, sexy feel of his tongue first touching hers, and then stroking in and out of her mouth. He tasted deliciously of mint and apple, and closed his strong arms around her as he took the kiss deeper. By the time he lifted his mouth from hers she was shivering and pressing herself against him, her thighs tight and her breasts hot.
“Damn, girl. Keep that up and we’ll set this barn on fire.” He looked all over her face. “If you ever want more, you come get me.”
She touched his mouth. “What if I need more than a kiss?”
Chris smiled slowly. “You come get me.” He touched her sore cheek, and his expression sobered. “But for now, I think you’d better tell me the truth about all this.”
Becca took in a shuddering breath. “The truth is that I can’t go back home, and you can’t tell anyone I’m here.”
He held her a little tighter. “Why? Who hurt you?”
“My stepmother, Holly.” She looked into his eyes. “Chris, she murdered my father, and I’m the only one who can prove it.”
Chapter Three
“Here it is.” Chris reined in Casper outside the old cottage, and dismounted so he could help Rebecca down from the saddle. “Instead of going on vacations, my grandparents built this as a little getaway. We still use it during the summer when the trout are running.” He glanced out over the ice-crusted lake and frowned at the darkening horizon. “No one comes out here in the winter.”
Rebecca followed him inside, and smiled as she took in the vintage furnishings and colorful handmade quilts his grandmother had hung on the walls. “It’s lovely.” She went over to examine the hearth and the old stack of split wood piled beside it. “If you’ll build a fire, I’ll make you some dinner.”
“I’ve got some snacks in my saddlebags, but I don’t think there’s anything edible . . . .”Chris’s voice trailed off as he watched her unload from her bag cans of stew, boxed crackers, jars of sliced peaches and a huge thermos. “Is that coffee?”
“Hot water.” She held up a plastic bag bulging with small packets. “But I have tea bags, instant coffee, sugar and creamer. Oh, and some hot chocolate mix, too.” She grinned. “Boy Scouts aren’t the only ones who are always prepared.”
“Honey, the Marines aren’t that prepared.” He went over to select some firewood and retrieve the kindling box, and crouched down in front of the hearth. “Seriously, that’s a lot of provisions. How long were you actually planning to hide out in the barn?”
“As long as it took until I figured out what to do next.” She wrinkled her nose. “Or I ran out of food.”
He struck a match to ignite the kindling, and then sat back on his haunches to watch the flames spread before he rose. “All right. I’m going to get Casper situated for the night, and then check in with the family.”
“Please, don’t call anyone.” Rebecca shot to her feet and clutched his arm. “They might tell Holly I’m here.”
“If I don’t, my brothers will coming looking for me, and find us both,” Chris told her. “I’m just going to let Ethan know that I’m spending the night here – by myself.”
Some of the tightness around her mouth eased. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Chris bent down and kissed her brow. “And if you’d be so kind as to make some coffee for me, I’ll love you forever.”
“Oh, yeah?” Her doe brown eyes sparkled. “What will you do for hot chocolate, Cowboy?”
“I’d marry you,” Chris told her, “and take care of you, and give you my babies, and make you the happiest woman on this Earth.” As she gaped at him he grinned. “So you might want to start out with coffee first.”
He first took Casper into the cottage’s little storage barn to settle him in. After he unsaddled and brushed the gelding, he called Ethan to tell him that he’d be bunking down at the old cottage for the night.
“There’s rain heading our way from down south,” his oldest brother told him. “If the temp keeps dropping, it’ll turn into an ice storm. You’d best head back.”
“I can’t.” Chris silently debated with himself for a moment before he told his brother the truth. “I found Rebecca hiding in the tractor barn. Her stepmother murdered Big Bill.” Once Chris had related the rest of Rebecca’s story, he added, “Don’t call anyone yet. Rebecca’s terrified of this woman, and I’ve got to calm her down before we go to the police.”
“You sure you can do that?” Ethan asked gently. “What if this is all in her head, Brother?”
“What if it’s not?” Chris countered. “Ethan, Bill Carson wasn’t a fool with horses, but he got tr
ampled by one he knew was dangerous. Rebecca wasn’t crazy in school, and no one has ever seen her act that way, but her stepmother’s gone all around town telling everyone she is. Any of that smell a little funny to you?”
“Yeah. It does.” His oldest brother sighed. “All right, stay with her. I’ll see what I can find out about the stepmother. Hey, what are you going to do for food?”
“Rebecca packed a bag with enough canned stew and peaches to last us through Christmas,” Chris assured him. “Ethan, be careful who you talk to about Holly Carson. If she could kill her husband, she’d have no problem coming after you.”
#
By the time Chris returned from looking after his horse Becca had the table set, the coffee made and a pot of stew simmering on the stove. “Dinner’s ready.”
“My two favorite words – besides Rebecca Rose.” He took off his hat and jacket before he joined her in the kitchen. “That smells great.”
“I can’t cook,” she admitted, “but I can warm up anything.”
“Same here.” He moved the pot to the table and sat down with her, taking a big gulp of his coffee and sighing with pleasure. “This is a real treat, baby. Thank you.”
Becca dished out the stew, and watched him wolf down his portion with a smile. “I hope I made enough.”
“I’m saving room for some of those peaches.” He eyed her bowl. “And you need to eat more than that.”
“I haven’t had much appetite lately.” She felt her throat tighten and put down her spoon. “You want some more coffee? I found an old percolator I can use to heat the water—”
“I’m good.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. “Ethan said we might get hit by an ice storm tonight, and if that happens we’ll be stuck here for a while.” He waited a beat before he said, “There’s still time for us to ride back to the main house.”
“That’s okay.” She rose and took her dish over to the sink. “Listen, if you’d rather not stay, I understand. I’ll be fine now.”
Chris came up behind her, and encircled her waist with his arms. “You can’t get rid of me, Rebecca Rose. Not after I’ve waited on you for seven years.”
To keep from melting all over him, she gripped the sink’s edge. “You don’t have to say that. I know you were nice to me in school, but with all those girls crushing on you . . . you must have dated a lot.”
“I’ve done my fair share of chasing skirts.” He turned her around to face him. “But I’ve never loved anyone but you.”
She stared up at him. “Christopher.”
“It’s true,” he said softly. “First time I saw you, freshman year, you stole my heart right out of my chest. Never got it back.”
“I didn’t bring my yearbook to graduation because I tore out the page with your picture. I kept it in my Bible so I could look at you whenever I wanted.” She ducked her head. “Whenever I was lonely.”
“Oh, yeah?” He pressed her closer, eliminating all the spaces between their bodies. “Did you look at me when you were in church?”
She nodded. “And in my room. In my bed, late at night, when I couldn’t sleep.” She stroked her hand over the hard vault of his chest. “I’d think about that day outside art class, when you kept me from falling on my face. The way it felt when you held me in your arms.”
Chris splayed his hands over the small over her back. “Did you like me holding you, baby?”
“Yes.” She loved the way his deep voice rumbled softly in his big chest, and rested her cheek over his heart to listen to its strong, heavy beat. “I’d look at your picture and wonder what it would feel like, to have you beside me, in my bed.” She took in a quick breath. “Sometimes I’d take off my nightie and lay there, naked, while I thought about what you’d do if you could see me like that.”
He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “What did I do to you, Rebecca?”
“You’d start out touching me.” Daringly she took hold of his hand, and bought it to her breast. “Here.”
“Oh, yeah.” Slowly he rubbed his palm in a slow circle, massaging her hard nipple, stopping only when she began unbuttoning her blouse. He lifted his hand away. “Baby, I don’t mean to push you into anything.”
A strange calm settled over Becca. “I’m twenty-five years old, and still a virgin. I don’t want to be one anymore.”
Doubt flickered over his handsome face. “It’s a big step. Maybe you should think about this a bit.”
“I have. I have for seven years, since I fell for you in high school.” She nodded as he stared at her. “I want you to come to bed with me, Christopher. I want you to be my first.”
Chapter Four
If any other girl had asked him such a thing, Chris would have hauled her off to bed without another word. Already he could feel his cock swelling and his muscles hardening as his body reacted mindlessly to her sweet request. But this was Rebecca Rose, and for her first time she deserved all the tenderness and care he could muster.
“I’d love nothing more,” he murmured to her. “So you think about this while we get things ready for tonight. And if you still want me to love you when it’s time for bed, then it would be my pleasure.”
“You don’t want to wait. I can feel it.” She shimmied slowly against him, her body caressing the thick bulge of his erection. “You’re all big and hard. You want me now, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I can’t hide that.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But I want you to be sure.”
“Okay.” She drew out of his arms and stepped back, unbuttoning her blouse and shrugging out of it. “I’m thinking about it now.”
Chris stared at pink lace bra hugging the sweet curves of her breasts before he averted his gaze. “I meant with your clothes on.”
“But I’m hot.” She bent down to pull off her ankle boots and socks, and then straightened to unfasten her jeans. “Really, really hot. Makes it hard to think, doesn’t it?”
In that moment the only thing that could have kept his eyes from her were blinders. Chris caught his breath as he took in her pale skin and tiny waist, and watched her skim her jeans down her legs. The sweet curves of her hips and thighs entranced him, until she turned and he saw her left side.
From her ribs to mid-thigh, ugly, dark bruises mottled her flesh.
Rebecca saw where he was staring and touched one of the reddish-purple patches. “Holly didn’t just hit me in the face. She also likes to pull hair, scratch and kick – anywhere the marks won’t show. She’s been hurting me since she married my father.”
Chris’s size had forced him early on not to give into his temper, and he prided himself on gaining complete control of it as an adult. Now seeing the evidence of Holly Carson’s abuse of Rebecca made his big hands curl into fists. “Why didn’t you tell someone?”
“I did, the first time she hurt me. I told my Dad, and I even showed him the bruises. He said Holly saw me do it to myself, and accused me of trying to break up their marriage.” Her lips twisted. “She came to my room later that night, and told me that if I ever tattled on her again she’d put me in the hospital. Then she beat me until I blacked out.”
“My God.” Chris felt sick. “No wonder you’re terrified of her.”
“She’s an evil woman.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I was too afraid after that to say anything more. I mostly stayed out of her way. The worst of it was knowing that whatever she did, my Dad would believe her over me.”
“I’ve got to get you to a hospital.” Chris went to her, and carefully touched the bruises on her side to feel the ribs underneath. They felt intact, but he was no doctor. “Does it hurt to breathe?”
“It’s not bad. Just a little sore.” She covered his hand with his. “Please don’t look at me like that, like I’m tragic. I’m not. I’m free of her now.” She sidled up against him. “We can be together, Christopher.”
“You’re in no shape for this,” he told her, and then groaned as she rubbed her slim torso against him. “And I can
’t take much of that.”
“Take more,” she dared him, and tugged down the front of her bra until her tight, rosy nipples popped free of the lace cups. “Take all of me, Chris.”
Every man had his breaking point, and seeing Rebecca’s pretty breasts hurtled Chris past his. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the kitchen to the back bedroom, where he set her down next to his grandparents’ big bed and pulled back the heavy checkerboard quilt from the white linen sheets. He ran his hands down her arms, and then reached back to unfasten her bra, tossing it over the footboard as he trailed his fingers over her quivering curves.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful as you.” He hooked his thumbs in the sides of her panties, and tugged them down until they fell to her ankles. He stared down at the neat triangle of dark curls before he lifted her onto the bed, and began quickly stripping off his own clothes.
#
Watching Christopher Boone undress made Becca’s cheeks grow hot and her thighs tremble, for his big, tough body looked even more massive with its bulging muscles and smooth, golden skin exposed. It also her made her feel a new, delicious feminine hunger to touch him everywhere. She ached to feel all that resilience and strength under her fingers.
He hesitated for a moment before pushing down his jeans, and when he straightened she saw why. His erect penis stretched painfully up from its nest of dark hair, with raised veins along the thick shaft that crested with a reddish, satiny bulb like a ripe plum. All that had to go inside her, and for a moment Becca felt alarmed by the prospect.
“It’s all right, baby,” Chris said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “We’re in no rush to do anything. You want to stop, you just tell me.”
He wanted her so much he had to be hurting, so for him to say such a thing made her heart melt. “I’m not scared. I’m just . . . not sure what to do first.”