With his mind racing, he could feel her eyes on him waiting for—-no, wanting an answer. He slowly rolled toward her. “I’m not sure I can give you what you want.”
“All I want is you,” she said, moving closer and laying her hand on his chest. She wound her fingers through the mat of hair and tipped her head before she locked her lips with his.
It was like the dam had broken. He pulled her to him and plundered her mouth with his. His tongue and lips were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He explored the inside of her mouth, down her neck, alternating between nibbling and licking while he traced the pattern with his hands. She moaned softly. He needed to feel her skin. Desperate for the feel of her next to him, he grabbed the neckline of her nightgown and ripped it from her body in one tug. She gasped when his mouth surrounded her nipple and flicked it with his tongue. It puckered to a hard nub, and she moaned again, her hands grasping at his shoulders.
He was almost out of control. Slow down. She wiggled beneath him, and he almost lost what little self-restraint he possessed.
He slowed his assault on her breast to a soft caress of his tongue while his hand skimmed her flat belly and traveled down her hip.
“I want to touch you,” she murmured. “Let me.”
* * * *
She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew she wanted to touch him, to feel every inch of his work-worn skin with her palms. She felt a flush creep up her chest and across her cheeks when he rolled onto his back. Settling herself over him, she ran her hands over his chest and arms until she heard a rumble of a groan in his chest. While her breasts pressed against his chest, she kissed him and ran her lips along his jaw like he had done to her. She flicked her tongue around his ear, swirling and dipping before taking the lobe between her teeth and nibbling softly. She inhaled his unique scent of sunshine and male.
“Oh God, Lily,” he whispered before he rolled her over onto her back and pinned her hands above her head. He kissed her with all the pent-up passion the constant closeness had created in him over the last month. His lips slid along hers, soft as rose petals, stealing her breath away while a moan worked its way to the surface.
She felt his body slide its way down her front, his masculine hair scraping along her skin when he moved, sending currents of passion to settle between her legs. He kissed and caressed each inch he touched until he reached the apex between her thighs and the soft curls nestled there.
“Open your legs, sweetheart. I want to taste you.” She moaned softly when he settled himself between her thighs and his mouth found her core. She thought she would lose her mind as her blood turned to liquid fire in her veins. She wasn’t sure exactly what was supposed to happen, but she did know what his tongue did to her was not on that "prim and proper list" most young girls were given. Every young woman had the talk with her mother about submitting to her husband, but oh God! Submission? Is that what this is?
All coherent thoughts fled when the roughness of his tongue found the hard nub at her center. Oh Lord, his tongue is… The thought disappeared almost the moment it surfaced. One, two flicks, and she was lost when blood rushed in her ears and stars flashed behind her eyelids. Her whole body shuddered in release, and she thought her heart would burst from her chest.
She lay there for a moment; languishing in the satisfaction of her release as her senses returned and she realized Seth was still kissing her. He worked his way back up her body, licking her belly and inching his way up to settle his mouth on her breast. Her blood began to pulse in her veins. He moved to the other breast, giving it the same quality of attention while he slipped between her thighs. She could feel him hard as a rock between her legs while he worked his magic on her body. His lips returned to her mouth, and his tongue plunged between her lips when he pushed inside her. The pain of his entrance swept the fog of desire from her mind for moment, and she whimpered beneath him.
He pulled his mouth from hers when he heard her whimper. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It will only hurt for a moment.” His fingers swept the tear from her cheek before he began to move. A groan rumbled deep in his chest, and she realized the pain was gone as heat flooded her center. He opened his eyes to look directly into hers, and she wiggled beneath him. “Sweetheart, please hold still for a minute. It’s been too long.”
Unsure what he meant, she held very still until she felt him move within her. The friction was like nothing she’d ever felt before. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he started to move faster and faster. His tortured groan reached her ears, and she opened her eyes to see his face contorted like he was in pain. The pleasure curling in her belly did nothing for her sanity as she felt liquid spill from within her, sliding down between them, coating them both, making the friction all the more pleasurable.
When their climax came, he groaned and surged within her as hard as he could. Stars began to burst behind her eyelids as she arched toward him and he shuddered above her.
After a moment he rolled off, relieving her of his weight, but pulling her with him. She snuggled against his side and rested her head on his chest, her hand winding through the hair beneath her cheek.
Inhaling a steadying breath, she couldn't hold her feelings in any longer. She had to say it. Telling him would leave her heart wide open to whatever he would do to it once he knew.
Chapter Sixteen
“I love you.”
Sighing heavily, he shifted away from her and sat up on the side of the bed, holding his head in his hands.
He felt her sit up behind him, wrapping her arms around him while she laid her head against his back.
“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to feel anything. I just needed you to know.”
He wasn’t sure what he felt for her, this beautiful, caring and passionate woman he now called his wife. What had just happened between them was nothing like he’d ever felt before. He was afraid to put a name to it, afraid to open his heart to her, but he wasn’t sure he had a choice anymore. His heart had taken to behaving of its own free will these days, and no matter how hard he tried not to love her, he did. Lord help him, he loved his wife with all of his heart and soul, and nothing could change that.
She pulled away from him and rolled onto her side of the bed. Pain emanated from her very being and hung like a cloud over the entire room. He wasn’t about to let her go, and when he curled up behind her and whispered in her ear, the pain lifted from her shoulders and the room became bathed in love.
“I love you, too. I just didn’t want to admit it, even to myself, but you worked your way into my heart before I even realized it, and now I can’t live without you.”
“Really?”
Tears sparkled on her lashes, and he wiped them away with his fingers.
“Yes, really.” He took her mouth with his again in a kiss she felt clear to her toes. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he began to work his magic all over again.
Come morning, it was apparent to all those in the household, the children especially, that something had changed in the relationship. They waltzed out of their room later than usual for breakfast, with Seth’s arm wrapped around his wife’s waist and a pretty blush on her cheeks.
Carmen started to whistle and scurried off to the kitchen to dish up the breakfast. The children sat in silence when they witnessed Seth planting a nice lingering kiss on Lily’s lips before he sat down at his place at the table. Anne giggled in the background, and Lily turned red at Seth’s behavior.
Carmen set a plate down in front of Seth and then one in front of Lily before she bent down and whispered in her ear, “It’s about time you two figured things out.”
Her thoughts returned to the night before and how her husband had taught her things about her own body she'd never been aware of. She had no idea her breasts were so sensitive to the pressure of his mouth, and when the rough pad of his tongue had run over the spot between her thighs…
Seth leaned over to murmur, "You need to stop thinking those thi
ngs, otherwise, we won’t be getting anything done today—-concerning work that is.”
Her cheeks flamed when his words rushed to her head, and when he settled back in his chair with a silly smirk on his lips, she wanted to smack him. After breakfast was over, he stood and headed for the kitchen with his plate while she followed. She approached the sink behind him, and he turned around, took her in his arms and planted a very passionate kiss on her mouth before letting her go.
“I need to get some things done, my lovely wife. I’ll see you later.” He stepped back, walked around her, and grabbed his hat before he went outside whistling a saucy tune.
Lily placed the dishes in the sink, and almost in a daze she walked back into the dining room while she tried to hurry the children in order for them not to be late for school. It was Friday, and she was looking forward to spending the weekend with her new family.
When the foursome reached the school, Lily realized it was going to be very difficult to keep her mind on the lessons for the children if she didn’t quit thinking about what Seth had done to her body.
Early afternoon approached, and she was in a hurry to return home to her husband when Daniel stopped by. She really didn’t want to see him. His presence made her more uncomfortable with each passing day since he'd tried to take liberties.
“What do you want?” Irritation was clear in her voice and contempt now evident with each movement she made. He needed to know she didn't like what happened the other day and she wasn't about to let it continue.
“I’m sure you know.” He raked her body with his gaze, and the heat in his eyes sent shivers of revulsion up her spine. She really hadn’t noticed before that he wasn’t a very nice man, but she did now. Today he had been bold enough to walk right in the front door, daring anyone to deny him entrance.
“Daniel, please. I’m really not in the mood for your innuendos. What is it you want?”
“You, but that will have to come later, I’m afraid. You’ll get tired of Seth, just like Victoria did.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said with a smirk. He headed back to the front door but stopped beside Johnny and Jarod for a moment to look back at her. When he did, the resemblance between the three shocked her. The boys had the same dark hair, the same dark eyes and olive complexion Daniel carried, and the same hawk-like nose that was completely unlike Seth’s. She’d never seen Victoria, of course, but she was under the impression Victoria had a fair complexion too.
Daniel tipped his hat to her and walked out the door as she sank into the chair near her.
It couldn’t possibly be. Surely she saw something not really there when she studied their features. Daniel couldn’t possibly be Johnny and Jarod’s father, could he?
Seth said he and Victoria had been married before their births, but something Daniel said the other day when he’d attacked her registered in her mind.
Aren’t you the least bit interested in comparing Seth and me? Victoria was.
“Are you all right, Miss Lily? Shall I go get Pop?”
“No, sweetheart. I’m fine,” she said, trying to bring her thoughts back to the children. “Let’s go home.”
She grabbed her things and ushered the children out the door, locking it behind her, while her thoughts went back to Seth. She couldn’t wait to get home and see him again.
* * * *
The wagon rolled into the yard while Seth stood on the porch waiting for his family to come home. His family. Now that was a different thought.
When Lily stopped the wagon, he helped her down, and the children scrambled from the back before they ran for the house.
“Everything all right?” The look on her face told him she was clearly upset.
“Yes. I just had another run in with Daniel this afternoon, that’s all.”
He swept over her, checking for himself to make sure she wasn't hurt. “What did he say? What did he do? Did he hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t hurt me or anything. It was fine, Seth, really."
“I think I need to go into town and have a nice little talk with him myself.” He grabbed the seat to hoist himself aboard the wagon, but Lily’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“Let it go, Seth. It was nothing.”
He turned to look at his wife, and the look in her eyes made him reconsider killing Daniel for her—for now.
“All right. I’ll let it go, but if he doesn’t stop this, I will.” He took her in his arms and held her tight against his chest. He couldn’t lose her, not now, not ever.
When he finally let her go, he told her he’d put the horses away and be in the house in a few minutes for supper. When he led the horses into the barn, the urge to kill Daniel almost overcame his reasoning. If he does anything to hurt Lily or the children, I will have to kill him.
Later that night when all the children were in bed and Seth held Lily in his arms, he pulled her tight against him, and she rested her head on his chest. How she had taken complete control of his heart in such a short time, he’d never know, but he refused to fight it anymore. He loved her. If he ever lost her, he would lose his mind. He thought he would go crazy when Victoria died, but it was nothing compared to the terrifying thought of losing Lily. She had quickly become everything to him, and he would do whatever he had to do to protect her.
The thoughts flittering across his mind scared the hell out of him, and he had the insane urge to feel her warmth wrapped around him once again.
“Again?” she teased as his mouth moved a trail down her neck to her naked breast, and she moaned softly.
“Are you complaining, wife?” His own smile rippled across his mouth when he raised his head to look into her eyes.
“Not on your life, my husband. I love what you do to me.”
His mouth settled back on her breast, and he teased the nipple with his tongue until it stood at attention. She moaned softly in her throat and arched her back to press his mouth harder against her.
He loved to make her body want his. His tongue moved down her belly while he traced circles on her skin.
“Seth, please,” she begged.
His mouth wandered further down until his tongue rasped across her clit. He toggled the sensitive bud several times before he whispered, "Tell me what you want.” His tongue licked her stomach then went back down again.
“Oh God, Seth, please.”
“Tell me what you want,” he said again. He wanted to hear her say the words. He needed to hear her tell him she wanted him.
“Make love to me. I need you.”
He moved over her and slid into her hot core with a heavy groan. “My pleasure, sweet wife.”
They rode the wave of passion to the breaking point as he pushed into her feverishly, until the stars burst behind his eyelids and all strength left his body. When he finally had the energy to roll off, he pulled her tightly to his side and whispered in her hair, “I love you.”
He felt her sleepy smile against his skin before she whispered, “I love you.” He finally drifted off to sleep with a satisfied smile after he heard Lily's soft snores next to him.
The next day he wanted to take Lily riding again. He lay on the bed and watched her shimmy the slim trousers she'd borrowed from Johnny over her hips. When she had pulled them over her long legs, those precious legs she’d wrapped so shamelessly around him last night, he growled from the bed.
She smiled brazenly, knowing she was driving him crazy.
“You are a witch.”
He rolled from the bed and began to stalk her across the room. She giggled as he slowly advanced on her and put her hands up to stave him off. He groaned low in his throat, grabbed her by the waist and pushed her down across the bed.
“Now, shall we see if you look as good taking them off as putting them on?” He pulled the pants down over her hips and off her legs.
“We'll never get out of here today to go riding if you start this again, you know,” she said with a smile, but it faded into a
moan when he started kissing her thighs and nipping at the soft flesh.
It was another couple of hours before they finally managed to leave their room to go for their ride in the country.
They carried a picnic lunch with them so they could stay out for a while. He wanted her all to himself today, and he wouldn’t mind if they found a nice grassy knoll to make love on. She had made him almost insatiable in his desire for her over the last few days. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and he absolutely loved it.
They chatted about the children, the ranch and several other topics, but completely avoided the subject of Victoria. Several moments later, they crested a small hill before he realized where they were headed. Victoria's headstone cast a shadow over the green grass beneath the tree.
He pulled his horse to a stop and shifted his gaze to Lily before he started to pull the animal in the other direction. He didn’t want to go there with her. Victoria was his past, and Lily was his future, but seeing Victoria’s grave brought back way too many memories, memories he wasn’t quite ready to face yet. He could tell by the look in Lily’s eyes she knew exactly who the grave belonged to, but all he could hope for was that someday Victoria wouldn’t stand between them anymore.
As they skirted the grave, Seth could see storms building in the distance, and the look of the clouds bothered him while they rode. He knew a thunderstorm could build from nothing and pour down enough rain to cause a flash flood.
Love's Sweet Surrender Page 19