The Crimson Rope

by London Saint James

  With a soft whimper she pulled her lips from his and leaned her head back against the chalkboard as she panted. Shiloh took that as his cue and placed his mouth on her neck, licking and sucking at the pulse at her throat.

  Melanie arched against him and tangled her fingers into his long hair, tugging and pulling as he gave them both what they needed. He hissed against her skin, as she pulled hard. The pain from that was as pleasurable as anything he’d ever received from her. She still remembered what he liked.

  “So buttoned up…holding everything in. Why?” He kissed the small indention where her pulse throbbed. Unhooking his fingers from her belt loops, he moved them to the top button as his gaze held her eyes. He undid a button and bared her flesh. Her lips looked bee stung, and he groaned as she licked them. “You say you were a kid then, Mel…not so much. Yes, I met you before you were eighteen, but when I left here you and I were both of an age to know what we wanted and how we wanted it. Did ol’ Jack know your penchant for wanting your ass spanked? Or that you liked to be tied up?”

  He noted the change within her immediately and she removed her hands from his hair, pushing her hands against his chest.

  “You left, remember?” she said. “Not me. You. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to finish what I was doing and get home.”

  “Home to what, Mel? Memories of broken promises and needs you had that couldn’t be fulfilled?”

  “How dare you assume to know what happened in my marriage.”

  “I dare, Melanie, because I know exactly what kind of marriage you had with Jack. I know what you needed was a strong hand, and he was anything but. I know your love for being tied up and having that ass of yours spanked. Did he do that for you?”

  “How I lived my life isn’t your concern anymore, if it ever was.”

  “Mel, darlin’, Jack isn’t standing in our way anymore. Let the past go.”

  “I can’t think when you’re this close to me. Please, I need to think.”

  He cupped her chin. “Darlin’, I will give you till this weekend. I want to see if you’re bold enough to take what you want.” He kissed the corner of her mouth and then moved back to give her breathing room.

  “People will talk.”

  “Let them fucking talk. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. We just had a little detour.”

  She sighed and moved away from him, picking up some crayons and pencils and setting them into a box.

  “I’m the preschool teacher. You think it’s that easy for me to deal with all the whispers that will go around in this small town?”

  “Not trying to brag, Mel, but I’m also the rancher that employs most of this town. So I think we can deal with a little bit of whispering.”

  “I don’t want to lose my job.”

  “Who says you have to? Besides, everyone has been waging bets on when I’d get into your pants again anyways, so why disappoint them?”

  “Ugh! Please … you’re not helping your case.”

  He chuckled and watched as she continued to clean up the room. “There’s a dance on Saturday.”

  Mel just turned and stared at him, trying to make it hard for him.

  “I’d like to ask you to go with me.”

  “I don’t know, Shiloh.” It was Thursday––she only had one more day of work, and the dance he was talking about was the town dance to usher in summer. It would be the last day of school tomorrow for the kids, though she still had one more week to work.

  “I’ll wait for you there.” Shiloh moved over, pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips, then let her go. Grabbing his hat, he winked at her and walked out.

  Chapter Two

  “Okay, Melanie, spill the beans.”

  Melanie sighed as first grade teacher Stephanie Holt sidled beside her in the teachers’ lounge, looking to share gossip over hot coffee on their first break. Luckily, there was no one else there at the moment, but they still spoke in hushed tones.

  She’d play dumb. “Spill the beans about what?”

  Melanie knew what Stephanie was talking about. When she’d come in that morning, low murmurs had turned to silence as the other teachers immediately hushed up in her presence. Somehow, someone had noticed that Shiloh had come to the school and talked to her, and word had travelled fast.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Melanie Renee Thurman.”

  “Steph, you’re lucky we’ve been friends as long as we have. That is the only reason you’re allowed to use my whole name.”

  The other woman giggled, brushed a red strand of hair behind her ear and batted her lashes at her. Melanie laughed as well. Stephanie knew her inside and out, and if ever there was someone who had Mel’s back, she did.

  “Come on, Mel … we’ve been friends way too long, and I know all about your romance with Shiloh and the disaster called Jack Thurman.”

  “It seems it’s all anyone wants to talk about. I hate being the brunt of gossip.”

  “Melanie, you know I’m not one of those egging on the gossip. You also know that anything having to do with the Cody family is always going to be an endless source of fascination for people.”

  Stephanie was right: the town had been built by the Cody family, and was named after them. Anything that happened surrounding them was fodder for the town gossips. Melanie’s relationship with Shiloh Cody had always been under scrutiny by the locals.

  She took a sip of her coffee and sighed, closing her eyes. “It was hard enough skirting around Shiloh when I was married to Jack. Now that Jack is gone, Shiloh’s made it plain that he’s not going to wait anymore.”

  “Girl, why should he? Everyone thought you’d marry him and then you up and married Jack Thurman.”

  “Yes, and you know why I married Jack. He’d gone to my father and asked for my hand in marriage, stating that he’d help my sisters go to school and pay off the family debts. My father didn’t want to ask me to do it, but Shiloh had left and I didn’t know if he’d be back. What was left for me? To help the family, so I did.”

  The door opened and the gym teacher, Craig Hoyt, walked in. He nodded to the both of them, went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Stephanie stayed blessedly quiet and they both continued to sip their coffee until the other teacher left the room.

  “Yes, you married Jack to help your family. Now that Shiloh is back, it’s time to help yourself. He’s never married! What does that tell you?”

  “You’re right, it is time for me. I’ve spent too much time worrying about everyone else. Even Jack … in the end, I had to take care of him because he was ill. He wasn’t a bad husband, but he really didn’t love me. He just wanted to take me from Shiloh.”

  “So you’re going to let him do that even in death?” She could hear the accusation in Stephanie’s voice.

  Stephanie was right. Jack Thurman was dead and gone and she was very much alive. Shiloh had always been a big part of her life. Why she was allowing Jack to hold on to her, even in death, seemed ridiculous even to her.

  “It’s a lot to think about…” Melanie looked at her best friend.

  “Really? Do I have to smack some sense into you? Shiloh Cody is the most eligible bachelor in this town and he wants you, no one else. What the hell is there to think about?”

  God, when Stephanie was right she was really right. There wasn’t anything to think about. She wanted Shiloh. In fact, she craved what he had to offer her. When she’d married Jack she’d thought that Shiloh wasn’t going to come back. He’d been angry with his father, her father and then eventually with her when he’d found out she’d promised to marry Jack. He’d told her he wasn’t going to come back.

  Why wouldn’t she believe him? Yes, he’d been angry and it had been said in the heat of an argument, but there wasn’t any reason to believe he was bluffing. Shiloh Cody always kept his word, or at least that’s what she thought until her wedding day. Weeks later she’d been married to Jack, and right after they’d said their “I do’s” Shiloh had sho
wn up.

  He wasn’t the typical wedding crasher, though he hadn’t been on the guest list. She could still hear the gasp that went through the church when Shiloh had been spotted. She, along with everyone else, had thought that Shiloh would come to blows with Jack but he’d surprised everyone by reaching out to shake Jack’s hand.

  His parting words had cut her to the quick. “We all know who the best man is.” He then tipped his hat and walked out of the church. Jack had laughed it off and pulled her close to his side and everyone surrounded them with congratulations. After that, she might have seen Shiloh in passing at the town store or when she was riding her horse on the land that bordered his, but that was it.

  He’d greet her with a tip of his hat and say Mrs. Thurman instead of using her Christian first name. It always made her want to scream. They’d been intimate, he’d said he loved her and she’d said it back and now he was a stranger to her.

  It was silly of her to expect anything different. Finally, as time went by she stopped purposefully going to look for him. It wasn’t fair to him and all it did was made her feel horrible about Jack. He’d told her one of the last times she made that trip that she needed a spanking and he would someday deliver it. So, slowly but surely she’d stopped taking those rides close to his land. But she’d never stopped dreaming of Shiloh’s special loving. His cowboy kink, as she called it. His dominant side spoke to her submissive nature.

  Conversely, Jack was all about what turned him on. Many a night she remembered lying there in the bed while Jack basically rutted on her and then turned over to sleep. When Jack had fallen asleep, in her frustration she’d turn to thoughts of Shiloh and come with his name on her lips while she played with herself, and then she’d cry herself to sleep. Empty sex all the way around made for a very sad and unsatisfied Melanie.

  Secretly, she’d wear nipple clamps under her clothing––anything to remember how it felt to be with Shiloh. It was never the same, though, and her orgasms became few and far between. Then life became even harder, as Jack was diagnosed with cancer and given only so much time to live. She’d poured all her energy into making his last days comfortable. She’d blocked out memories of her past with Shiloh and focused on Jack. He’d lived longer than the doctors said, and one day when she’d had him out on the veranda sipping some green tea, he’d apologized to her for everything.

  “Shiloh was right.” She’d looked at Jack, puzzled.

  “We both know who the best man was and is.”

  “Jack, don’t…”

  “All these years wasted. I didn’t love you then, though I’ve grown fond of you.”

  “Jack, it’s okay.”

  “No, dear, it isn’t, but it will be. Promise me the first chance you get you will go to him. You should be happy.”

  “But…” She’d looked at him and he’d patted her hand. He was a shell of his former vibrancy.

  “No but’s! Just give a dying man his last wish.”

  She’d sighed. “If I can, Jack, I promise I will.”

  “That will have to do. Now how about you go and get me a slice of that wonderful sweet potato pie you make?”

  “Of course, Jack.” She’d smiled, rising and kissing his forehead before going back into the house to get him that pie.

  Jack had lived a month longer and she’d spent the next year making sure that his ranch prospered. She hadn’t been given the chance to go to Shiloh, as he’d left town. She’d been told he’d gone off to learn Spanish ranching. She’d smiled, thinking Shiloh was always on the cutting edge. It had been a missed opportunity. She’d begun to think he’d never return. Then he’d shown up today demanding that she give all. She’d forgotten her promise to Jack as all the guilt of the past swallowed her.

  One more chance... It was as if Jack whispered to her. Yes. One more chance. She’d go to the dance, give herself over to Shiloh’s touch and see where it led her.

  Chapter Three

  The dance was in full swing at the old Jensen barn. The barn had been renovated over the years and now housed a full bar, male and female bathrooms, and also had a full service kitchen. The dance was held there annually and was always a hit. Tonight the barn was filled to the rafters with dancers, shit talkers and drinkers. What a party.

  Melanie was dressed in a pair of form-fitting Levi’s, a red tunic and of course her red boots. They made her feel naughty. There was also a little surprise beneath her clothing just for Shiloh. Tonight, she was going to get her man.

  She squared her shoulders and grinned at herself in the bathroom mirror as she refreshed her lipstick. She hadn’t seen Shiloh, but that sure as hell didn’t mean he wasn’t already there. And she wanted to look her best.

  Okay, now you’re stalling. Get out of the bathroom and go and see if Shiloh is here.

  She’d left Stephanie at the bar nursing a drink. Contrary to popular belief, women didn’t always have to go to the bathroom in packs. With another deep breath, she turned away from the mirror and headed to the door and walked out into the room, filled wall-to-wall with people. Okay, this was going to be a little harder than she thought.

  She should have called him. Called him and let him know that she was going to go to the dance. He’d left her classroom with the impression that she wasn’t going to go. Damn it, it was time to nurse that drink she’d ordered. She weaved her way through the throng of people, and around the dance floor where the Texas two-step was in full swing to Randy Houser singing “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight.” She looked towards the door and started walking, about to leave, but stopped just before she exited. No, she wasn’t going to run. She’d see this through. Turning back around, she headed for the bar where Stephanie sat.

  She finally made it back to Stephanie and settled next to her on her stool. Stephanie turned to her with a grin. “So, seen your cowboy yet?”

  “Not yet.” She picked up the rum and coke and took a sip from the glass. It burned a delicious path down her throat, warming her immediately. It was her liquid courage. The one thing alcohol had a tendency to do was burn away her inhibitions.

  “Well, speak of the devil,” she heard Stephanie mutter.

  “What devil…?” The rest of her words were gulped down as Shiloh came into view. He was wearing his famous black cowboy hat, a pair of Levi’s that molded to his form, black boots and a black t-shirt. Shiloh was all muscle without a layer of fat on him. He wasn’t bulky at all, but rather every bit of him was lean muscle. He had the body of a hardworking cowboy, and damn, if she didn’t want that cowboy to work her body in all sorts of naughty ways.

  “Hmm, I think I see Ray. I’m going to go and beg a two-step from him,” Stephanie said hastily as she downed her drink and got up to move away.

  “Traitor…”

  Melanie heard Stephanie laughing as she walked away. Her eyes widened as she then saw Steph stop in front of Shiloh and speak.

  Damn her and her meddling ways. I got this. Please don’t let her say anything crazy … please don’t let her say anything crazy…

  She picked up her drink to calm her nerves.

  “Oh…hey, Shiloh…how about you go and give my girl some special attention, you know, the kind that will have her screaming out your name?” she heard Stephanie say.

  Melanie had just taken a drink and started coughing like crazy, choking upon hearing Stephanie’s words.

  Jebediah Walker, who sat next to her, began patting her back.

  “You okay, little darlin’?”

  Before she could say anything, Shiloh was there and talking for her. “I got this, Jeb … she’ll be all right.” He took over patting her back when the other man stopped.

  “No problem there, Shiloh. Good to see you.”

  “Shiloh, I’m fine, really. You don’t have to keep patting my back.”

  “Let me be the judge of that.” He had a wicked grin on his face, and lord help her if he wasn’t up to no-good.

  “I’d begun to think you wouldn’t show up.”

  “When I
promise to be somewhere, I’ll be there. Besides I’m the one who wanted you to come. I’ve been here a while just watching you.”

  “Just watching me?”

  “Mhmm, I wanted to see if you’d chicken. I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “I almost did.”

  “I know. I saw you move towards the door.”

  She didn’t say anything to that. What was there to say?

  Melanie looked into his eyes. God, why did he have to have the bluest eyes ever? His eyes had always mesmerized her and she could swear it was happening again right at that moment. She blinked when she realized he was saying something.

  “Finish your drink, Mel. We’re leaving as soon as you’re done.”

  “Leaving? Going where?”

  “We’re going back to my place, to my bed where you should have been all along.” His eyes didn’t waver from hers.

  There was such authority in those words and such truth Melanie felt wetness pool between her thighs and drench her panties.

  “But the dance...”

  “We’ve done enough dancing around each other to last a lifetime. Enough is enough, don’t you think? Besides, did you really come here to dance?”

  The answer to that was an implicit no. She hadn’t. She’d come to see him, to be with him.

  “Um, what about Stephanie?” What a silly question. Though she loved Stephanie, at this moment she should be the furthest thing from her mind.

  “Stephanie will be fine.” He nodded to where Stephanie was sitting, between two cowboys, chatting away. “I’m sure what she has planned for those two doesn’t include us.”

  Heat filled Melanie’s body as she looked in the direction Shiloh indicated and she spotted Stephanie. The girl was in one cowboy’s lap with her legs on the other and openly flirting with them both. Stephanie’s naughty side had always made Melanie a bit jealous. Her husband hadn’t been into any kind of kink. Shiloh was a whole other animal. He had kinks, kinks that she’d always wanted to explore. Could she do it?