by Ginna Gray
"I tried to tell myself that I just needed to be with a woman. Any woman. That if I started seeing someone else I would stop thinking about you constantly."
Hurt coursed through Willa. Merely suspecting that he was seeing someone else, she had suffered searing jealousy every night that he'd gone into town, but knowing for certain, hearing him admit it, was so much worse.
"I see," she said, her voice frosty with hurt. "In that case, maybe you should be asking one of those women to sleep with you." She tried to pull away but he grasped her shoulders and refused to let her go. Willa turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"Willa, listen to me. It didn't work. Nothing happened. I didn't want either of those women. They both let me know that they wanted to go to bed with me, but I wasn't interested. And do you know why?"
She gazed at him warily out of the corner of her eye, her expression still mulish and distrustful. "Why?"
"Because they weren't you." Crooking his finger under her chin, he turned her face toward his again. He looked into her eyes, and his voice deepened. "It's you I want. Only you."
Hope fluttered in her chest. She searched his face, his eyes, and all she saw there was unflinching honesty.
"To hell with Seamus and his plotting. This is just me wanting you and you wanting me," he continued in the same low tone.
Happiness began to percolate, effervescing from somewhere deep inside Willa like tiny champagne bubbles. Slowly her mouth curved into a smile and she slid her hands up over his chest and clasped them behind his neck. "Take me upstairs, Zach."
Before all the words were out of her mouth he swooped her up into his arms. Willa gazed at his determined profile, her heart thudding, excitement and dread nearly suffocating her. She had to tell him. He had a right to know. She had to.
Zach shouldered open the swinging door and strode into the hall, and when he'd gained the foyer he took the steps two at a time.
He did not slow his pace until they were inside his room. Coming to a halt beside the bed, he looked deep into her eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want? If not, say so now. I'm not sure I'll be able to stop if we go on."
Tell him. You have to tell him, now before it's too late. "Zach, I … there's something you should know. I…"
"Yes?"
"I…" She gazed at his rough-hewn face, flushed with passion, the desire blazing in his eyes – for her – and instead of the words she intended to say she answered his question, truthfully from her heart. "I want you to make love to me. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
He pressed a quick, hard kiss on her mouth, and placed her on her feet. Willa was so nervous her knees were weak, and when he slid his hands over her shoulders and up the sides of her neck she shivered. "You looked beautiful tonight," he whispered. "But I've been wanting to do this all evening."
She felt his fingers in her hair, and a second later the pins scattered across the floor and what was left of her elegant hairdo came tumbling down. He picked up handfuls of the slippery strands, lifted them, let them slide through his spread fingers and cascade around her shoulders and back like an ebony silk curtain, all the while watching as though mesmerized. "Lovely," he murmured.
Then his gaze drifted to her face, and he bent his head and kissed her again, as though unable to resist. Willa sighed and leaned in closer, then smiled against his lips as she felt his hands winnow through her hair again. Not until the kiss ended and she felt a tickle of cooler air against her lower back did she realize that he'd unzipped her dress. Instinctively, she crossed her arm over her chest to hold up the sagging bodice.
Zach smiled. "Shy? Don't be. Not with me. I want to see you. I've dreamed about this for months."
"You … you have?"
"Mmm. Watching you in those tight jeans every day has been driving me slowly out of my mind."
His words thrilled her. All this time, she thought with amazement, while she had been almost sick with love for him, Zach had been fantasizing about her.
Gathering her courage, she swallowed hard and slid first one strap, then the other off her shoulder, all the while holding his gaze. As the dress slithered to the floor she saw the fire leap into his eyes. Trembling with nerves, she stood in front of him wearing only the sexy little black lace panties and bra and red, strappy high heels.
"Ah, sweetheart." Zach reached out and ran his forefinger along the top edge of the bra, leaving a line of fire on the pearly mounds of flesh that swelled above it. "You take my breath away."
His trailing finger reached the clasp at the center front of the bra and flipped it open, and the strapless scrap of lace fell to the floor. Willa shivered and resisted the urge to cover herself.
Then Zach's hands were there, cupping her breasts, lifting, stroking. He bent his head and kissed the soft flesh, ran his tongue around one rosy aureole, then pulled it into his mouth. Willa's head lolled back and she squeezed her eyes shut, moaning at the delicious sensation that tugged all the way to her feminine core. Had she not been clutching his shoulders for support she would have surely collapsed in a heap.
With a sudden urgency, Zach released her, and as the cool air struck her wet nipple she moaned and reached for him, but he ignored her plea and swept her up into his arms and moved closer to the bed. With one knee sunk into the mattress, he paused and looked into her eyes. His face was dark and rigid with passion, his eyes glittering like diamonds. "I meant to go slow, but I can't. Not this time. I've wanted you too long."
"Oh, Zach."
He laid her down on the mattress, and in one smooth motion stripped away the lacy panties and sandals. Then he went to work on his own clothes. Willa watched him, fascinated, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
He yanked off his boots and socks and straightened. Gripping the lapels of his Western shirt, he gave them a yank, and the gripper snaps came loose with a rapid rattat-tat-tat-tat, like a tiny machine gun firing. He snatched off the shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. Next he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his jeans and underwear and shoved them to his ankles and kicked them off. All the while, he watched Willa watching him.
The mattress dipped, and he came down beside her. He took her mouth in a ravenous kiss and ran his hand over her body, cupping her breast, sweeping his thumb across the nipple until it stood up like a pebble, then abandoning the soft mound to skim over the long curve of midriff and waist and hip.
He trailed kisses over her cheek, her jaw, down her neck. "You taste heavenly," he murmured, nuzzling the silky valley between her breasts. He explored her navel, her hipbone, the silky juncture where her thigh met her body. Then his fingers found that nest of tight, black curls.
"Zach. Oh, Zach."
Willa shifted restlessly, almost delirious. She was swamped with so many new and wondrous sensations she couldn't think. She could only respond, and at his silent urging, she parted her thighs for him. Then his fingers stroked that warm, wet part of her that yearned for him, and she moaned and arched against his hand.
A low, desperate growl rumbled from Zach, and he quickly moved into position between her thighs. Willa was on fire, her body hot and feverish, but gossamer wings of panic fluttered around the edges of her mind when she felt his sex nudge her. She struggled to think, to remember.
"Zach … I…"
Then it was too late.
He thrust into her, and she felt a searing pain. It lasted only a moment, but she could not hold back the cry that tore from her throat.
"What the—"
Braced on his arms above her, Zach stilled and stared down at her in horror. "Willa? What—?"
He started to withdraw, but she clutched his shoulders and pleaded, "No! Don't stop. Please, don't stop."
"Dammit, Willa—"
"Please." She gazed up at him, her eyes entreating, and arched her hips, taking him deeper. "Please."
Zach gritted his teeth, but when she lifted again he was lost. With a groan he started to move, slowly, watching her face for si
gns of distress, but all he saw there was relief and building pleasure. He watched her eyes glaze with it, her lips part. She began to move with him, arching her hips to meet every thrust.
"Put your legs around me," he rasped.
She obeyed, and her eyes widened as he thrust deeper, faster. Her breathing became labored and rapid, and she began to turn her head from side to side on the pillow and to make small, frantic sounds.
Zach stared down at her in awe, amazed and unbearably excited by her innocent ardor. He could see the passion building in her, hear it in her desperate little moans.
"Oh. Oh. Oh, Zach. Zach!"
"Go with it, baby. Let go," he growled.
Willa cried out, and he felt her sweet, pulsing contractions tighten around him, and his control began to slip. Arching his back, he threw his head back and pressed deep, and a low, guttural sound of ecstasy rumbled from his throat as his own climax overtook him.
Zach collapsed on top of her and struggled to catch his breath. Willa sighed and wrapped her arms around him and ran her palms up over his back.
That feather-light touch instantly jarred him back to his senses, and he withdrew from her and rolled out of bed.
"Zach?"
Jaw set, he stalked across the room and snatched up his jeans and stepped into them. He heard a rustling sound, and from the corner of his eye he saw Willa sit up in the bed and pull the sheet up to her armpits.
"Zach?"
The anger and guilt bubbling inside him boiled to the surface and he swung on her. "A virgin! Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he shouted.
"I…I…"
"Dammit, you're twenty-six! How can you still be a virgin?"
"I–I told you I haven't dated much. Seamus … Seamus didn't approve. After I turned twenty-one and could defy him I had a few dates, but I never went out with any of them more than once. I think he scared them off somehow. So…" She broke off and pressed her lips together and watched him nervously.
"And you let him get by with that?"
"I–I'm sorry you're disappointed."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not disappointed. I'm angry. Dammit, you should have told me. I never would have touched you if I'd known you were a virgin."
"I see." Willa ducked her head and stared at her fingers, which were nervously plucking at the sheet.
"Damn." Zach paced to the window, then swung back and plowed both hands into his hair, holding his head as though to keep it from exploding. "Well, the damage is done now. There's only one thing to do. We'll get married as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if I can arrange it."
Willa's head jerked up. "What?"
"I'll call Edward in the morning. Maybe he can pull some strings for us."
"Forget it." Tossing back the sheet, Willa jumped out of bed and snatched up her dress from the floor.
"Okay, if you don't want Edward to help, we'll go through normal channels."
Willa stepped into the dress and yanked up the zipper. "No, I mean forget the whole thing. I'm not marrying you. Period. This is the twenty-first century, for heaven's sake! I will not marry a man simply because he feels obligated to make an 'honest woman' out of me." She grabbed up her bra and panties and stomped for the door. "So you can take your proposal and stuff it, Mahoney!"
"Willa, come back here. That's not what I meant."
Ignoring him, she kept going. Zach cursed and stomped after her down the hallway. "Will you stop and listen to me. Dammit, I didn't even use any protection. You could be pregnant."
She stormed into her bedroom, and turned back, blocking the door. "If I am, then I'll deal with it. Alone."
Zach opened his mouth to argue, but she slammed the door in his face and turned the lock. He spewed a string of curses and banged on the door with the side of his fist. "Dammit, woman, open this door!"
"Stop that! You'll wake up the children. Just go away. I have nothing more to say to you."
He stopped pounding and looked down the hall toward the children's bedrooms and cursed again, this time under his breath. "All right, all right. I'm going," he said, pitching his voice just loud enough for her to hear him through the door. "But this isn't the end of it. We're going to talk about this in the morning."
He stalked back into his room and slammed the door. Too agitated to sit, his hands clenched at his sides. "Stubborn woman," he snarled at the ceiling. What the devil was the matter with her? After what they had just shared, he knew she cared for him. So why was she being so obstinate?
He reached the window and turned to pace back to the other side of the room, but after only two steps he spotted one of her shoes. Zach bent, picked up the red sandal and sat on the edge of his bed. He stared at the tiny shoe, turning it around and around in his hand. How did women walk in these things? It had a three-inch heel and was nothing more than a couple of straps and a thin sole.
The corners of his mouth twitched. It sure was sexy, though. The silvery innersole bore the impression of her toes, and he smiled wider this time, remembering the sassy red nail polish on them. When she had come sashaying down those stairs in that swirly red dress and these little-bit-of-nothing shoes it had been all he could do not to ravish her on the spot.
He'd never felt this way about a woman before. He was crazy about her, and she was tying him in knots.
Zach sighed and rubbed his thumb back and forth over one of the red straps. "Dammit, Willa, why won't you marry me?"
* * *
Chapter 12
« ^ »
Leaning back with his chair tilted on its rear legs, Zach sipped his coffee and watched the hall door over the rim of the mug.
Tying on her apron, Maria came into the kitchen through the side door that led to her quarters. When she spotted Zach, she jumped and let out a squeak and slapped her hand over her heart.
"Señor Zach! You startled me. You are early this morning."
"Yeah." He nodded toward the stove. "I already made the coffee." Immediately, his gaze returned to the swinging door. He had a hunch Willa would try to sneak out early. He'd come downstairs almost an hour ago to make sure that didn't happen.
Maria followed the direction of his gaze, and wisely went about her business, saying nothing.
Just as Zach suspected, a moment later Willa pushed through the door. Two steps into the room she stopped short. He cocked one eyebrow. "Going somewhere?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you." He gave her a searching look and his tone gentled. "Are you okay?"
"My cheek is fine."
"That's not what I meant. After last night, I thought you might be a little … uncomfortable."
Willa gave him a go-to-hell look and headed for the back door.
The front legs of Zach's chair hit the floor as he sprang to his feet and blocked her path. "You aren't going anywhere until we have that talk we should have had last night."
"Forget it, Mahoney. I'm leaving." She sidestepped first one way, then the other, but each time he mimicked the action. "Will you stop that!"
Maria stopped working and watched them with avid curiosity, her gaze bouncing from one to the other.
"We have to talk, Willa."
"We most certainly do not! I have nothing to say to you. Now get out of my way."
"Or you'll what? Face it, sweetheart, I'm bigger and stronger than you are, and just as stubborn."
"You wouldn't dare use brute force on me."
"Wanna bet?"
"Why you sorry, low-down, good-for-nothing—"
"Hey! Hey! What's all the racket about?" Matt demanded, limping into the kitchen. J.T., Kate and Maude Ann followed behind him. "We could hear you two yelling at each other all the way upstairs. You wake those kids before it's time for them to get up and I'll personally knock your heads together." He limped over to the stove to get some coffee. "So what's the problem here?"
"Your brother won't take no for an answer. That's the problem."
"What?" Both Matt and J.T. stiffened and drilled Zach with identi
cal icy stares. The women looked stunned. "What did you do to her?"
A guilty flush crept up Zach's neck and face. "This is between Willa and me, so just stay out of it."
"I have nothing more to say to you. Get out of my way."
"Oh, no, you don't," he warned, matching her sidestep again. "You're not going anywhere until we settle this."
"It is settled!" she yelled.
"Dammit, will you calm down and listen to reason?"
"Reason? Reason! Don't you dare talk to me about reason, you … you … throwback! Now get out of my way!"
She feinted to one side, then darted around him on the other. Zach made a grab for her arm, missed, and snagged the back of her shirt instead, jerking her to a halt. Willa shrieked and twisted around, swinging.
"Hey, that's enough! Break it up, you two." Man stepped between the pair.
J.T. grabbed Zach's arm. "Let her go, Zach."
"Dammit—"
Matt jutted his head forward until he and Zach were nose to nose, eyeball to eyeball. "You heard him," he growled. "The lady wants to leave. Let her go. And remember, there are two of us."
Jaw clenched, Zach stared back, weighing his chances. "Damn," he finally snapped, and released the shirt. Willa shot out the door like a bullet.
"Muchacha! Your breakfast!"
Ignoring Maria, she kept going and ran to her pickup. An instant later the engine roared to life, and the tires kicked up gravel when she stomped on the gas and sped out of the yard.
"Great. Just great." Zach turned cold, furious eyes on his brothers. "Don't either of you ever do anything like that again."
"Hey, bro, you can't expect Matt and me to stand by and do nothing while you manhandle a woman."
"I wasn't going to hurt her, for Pete's sake. I just wanted to talk to her."
"That's not how it looked from where we stood," Matt replied. "What the devil happened between you two last night, anyway?"
"Obviously not what we thought was going, to happen," J.T. drawled.
Kate put her hand on her brother's arm. "Zach, what's wrong? You and Willa were getting along so well at the dance before that thug Lennie hit her. Why is she so upset with you now?"