The Treasure

by Beth Williamson

  “Oh, really, where did you travel?”

  Lily dreaded the question, but didn’t want to lie about where she’d lived.

  “Here and there. Lots of places. My father liked to gamble and my mother was a singer.”

  Nicky nodded. “Met lots of folks like that when I was on the run.”

  Lily was immediately intrigued. “On the run?” She could have kicked herself for asking it. It just popped out of her mouth.

  Nicky laughed at the expression on her face. “Don’t be embarrassed. I was on the run from bounty hunters and the law for over three years for a crime I didn’t commit. Tyler found me, married me, dragged me back here to face the music. In the end, the man who caused us a lot of suffering,” she glanced at Rebecca, “got the punishment he deserved.”

  “Is Tyler a bounty hunter?” Lily’s mouth didn’t seem to want to stop moving.

  “He was—not anymore. He was really good at it too. After all, he found me, didn’t he?” Nicky grinned.

  The conversation turned to springtime and waiting for the thaw to happen. Lily felt so comfortable sitting and talking to them. They were like the sisters, and the mother, she’d never had. She felt a roar of envy building inside her. What she wouldn’t give to be a part of them permanently.

  “How are the lessons going with Melody?” Francesca asked.

  Lily choked on her tea and nearly aspirated it. Nicky started slapping her on the back as Lily struggled for breath. As she wiped her eyes on a napkin, she coughed and cleared her throat.

  “That bad, huh?” Nicky said.

  “Melody likes to…to hide. I’m still learning how to find her.”

  Nicky laughed, as did Francesca. Bonita and Rebecca looked as puzzled as Lily.

  “My daughter was the champion hider in her day. Her brothers could never find her.” Francesca smiled.

  “She is resisting you?” Rebecca’s delicate brow puckered.

  Lily nodded. “She loves music though. I think that’s where I am going to try to break through. If her father doesn’t continue to fight me on it.”

  “Why would he do that?” Francesca frowned.

  Nicky glanced at her mother. “The piano, Mama. It’s still there.”

  Francesca face hardened and her lips compressed together to form a white line. “He keeps punishing himself for that faithless woman’s ugly decisions.”

  “Yup, he sure does.” Nicky pointed at Lily. “But I have a feeling that Lily here is the perfect cure for what ails him.”

  Lily felt her cheeks redden. “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “I saw the way you look at Ray, and I also saw him smile at you earlier.” Nicky’s grin was positively wicked.

  Francesca, Bonita and Rebecca gasped. If she wasn’t so embarrassed, she might laugh at the comic expressions on their faces.

  “He smiled? At Lily?” Francesca sounded incredulous.

  Nicky smiled smugly and raised an eyebrow at Lily. “Damn straight he did. I think Ray has fallen for his governess. I also think that the feeling might be mutual.”

  Lily gazed at the women around the table, waiting for the recriminations, the accusations and the disapproval. Instead, she saw excitement, joy, approval and, best of all, acceptance.

  “You will be good for Raymond,” stated Francesca. “He needs a good woman and if you can make him smile, Lily, you are definitely the one. I knew my friend, Agatha, would find the perfect governess.”

  She leaned over and kissed Lily on both cheeks then hugged her tightly. “Welcome to the family, daughter.”

  Chapter Nine

  Lily woke with a start, her heart pounding and her breath coming in gasps. It had been so long since she had that particular nightmare, she had all but forgotten it. Almost. Briefly talking about where she’d lived and her parents was enough to wake it from its slumber.

  It was always the same dream. Reliving the last day with her parents. The awful bar, the smelly men, the panic and the fear. Then the tears and the pain.

  Enough.

  She shook off the self-pity, wiped the tears from her cheeks and swung her legs over the side of the bed, careful not to wake Hope. Lily shared a bed with Rebecca’s eight-year-old daughter, Hope. She was a little version of her mother right down to the soulful gray eyes. A beautiful, smart child who read a bedtime story to the rest of the children, then helped tuck them in. Melody and little Rebecca slept on cots on the other side of the room. All three girls slept soundly.

  Lily tiptoed across the room with her bathrobe in hand. She slipped it on after she got out to the hallway and closed the door.

  As she headed to the kitchen for some warm milk, she repressed the urge to review all the things Nicky and Francesca said about her and Ray. It was too much to hope for, too much to ask for; however, that didn’t stop her traitorous heart from galloping at the thought of Ray loving her.

  The kitchen and dining room at the Malloy ranch were one big room, “the great room” their mother called it. It was an open, airy place that still maintained its coziness. A warm glow of light came from the room. Someone else was awake.

  ———

  Ray stared at the whiskey in his glass as he rolled it back and forth between his hands. It was his third and he shouldn’t even be thinking about drinking it, much less have it already poured, but he was. Because of her.

  Lily.

  The very thought of her made his dick wake up and stretch. As he watched his parents, then Nicky and Tyler, then Ethan and Bonita, and finally Jack and Rebecca all happily head off to bed together, his longing for Lily intensified. He hungered for her, ached for her. Yet he had to share a room with Trevor and Brett, he thought sourly. What he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to bed and damn the consequences.

  He couldn’t do that to her though. His family obviously liked and respected her. He didn’t want to jeopardize that by acting like a caveman making off with his woman.

  His woman.

  Was she? He wasn’t the first to be in Lily’s bed, a fact that didn’t bother him. Was he going to be the last? He jumped at the yes his heart shouted at him.

  His woman.

  People didn’t fall in love in three weeks, did they? He had been unhappily living his life with no warmth or hope. Then came Lily, tripping into his life with her amazing outlook on life.

  “Hello, Ray.”

  As if his imagination conjured her, she appeared in the doorway. He started and spilled his whiskey all over his hands. Her hair hung down in a thick braid he itched to unravel and press against him. Her nightclothes were modest and covered her completely, but he saw her curves and bountiful breasts. His hands shook with the urge to cup them, weigh them and bring them to his waiting mouth.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Lily hurried to the sink to grab the towel hanging on the side. As she stepped over to him to wipe his hands, he was assaulted by her scent. She smelled of wildflowers and soap and woman.

  His hunger grew teeth and starting gnawing on him.

  “What are you doing here?” His question was gruff even to his own ears.

  “I’m sorry I disturbed you,” she said as she set the towel down. Her cheeks were pink and her beautiful whiskey eyes reflected hurt. She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm. He tugged and she tumbled into his lap with a squeak. He closed his eyes for a moment to savor the intense wave of pleasure zinging through him as her soft bottom cushioned his growing erection and her right breast pushed against his chest.

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. Her mouth was slightly parted and her eyes wide.

  “I missed you.”

  He didn’t really mean to say it even if that’s what he was thinking.

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you too.”

  “I can’t help it, Lily,” he said as he swooped down to kiss her.

  Her lips welcomed his and immediately began to move with him. Long, slow kisses with tongues sliding against each other, a dance of thirst t
hat had not yet been slaked. A hunger not fed.

  Ray felt her nipple harden and grind into his chest. He was sure she could feel his dick pressing against her hip. It was as hard as a fence post. He wanted to rip her nightgown off and plunge into her. He needed her.

  His hand started inching up her leg, caressing and touching the silky smooth flesh. As he got closer to her upper thigh, her hand closed around his wrist and she pulled her lips away from his.

  “We can’t do this in the kitchen, Ray. One of the children could walk in.”

  He groaned and rested his forehead against hers. His body throbbed in tune with the pulse in his pants. Now was not the time to stop the concert.

  “Goddamn kids,” he grumbled.

  She turned down the wick in the lantern on the table next to them and started planting light kisses along his neck. “How…about…the…pantry?”

  He didn’t even think, he simply scooped her up and stood, heading for the pantry like a train on the tracks, with only one thought in his mind.

  My woman.

  As the room plunged into darkness, the muted moonlight streamed through the kitchen window. Ray pushed aside the curtain to the pantry and walked in with his precious bundle.

  The pantry was large by some standards—at least eight feet deep and six feet wide. The Malloy family was eight strong before the youngest brother was killed nine years earlier. That was a lot of people, especially boys and men, to feed. He set Lily on a barrel and stepped away. It was nearly pitch black in there and only the white of her bathrobe was visible.

  “Wait right there.”

  He rushed back into the kitchen, grabbed his coat from the hook beside the door and returned to the pantry in seconds. He handed her the coat, then lifted her up into his arms.

  “Spread it on the barrel, sunshine.”

  Lily lay the coat inside up so the soft wool was beneath her. He set her down, sliding the nightgown up to her waist as he did. Leaning over, he licked her lips and whispered, “We’ve got to be quiet.”

  She nodded against him. Her braid bounced gently against his shoulder. He reached out and pulled the scrap of cloth off the end, then used his fingers to separate the strands. It felt like silk and he wanted it wrapped around him when he entered her.

  Her small hands flattened against his chest, gently kneading and touching. He yanked his shirt off with one swoop and threw it on the floor. When her fingers starting walking down his bare chest, he knew he had to get them both ready or he was going to lose control in his pants.

  He untied the sash on her bathrobe and eased it off her shoulders, kissing the soft skin of her neck. She mewled like a kitten when he bit her earlobe. He licked it in apology.

  “Move up a bit,” Ray whispered.

  Lily leaned forward and he lifted the hem of her nightdress up and over her head.

  Naked. She was deliciously naked. He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs back and forth across the puckered peaks. Her breath came in shorter spurts as she squirmed on the barrel. She finally reached for his trousers and he smiled into the darkness.

  Leaning toward her, he captured her mouth in a soul-searing kiss he felt echo through his body. As he unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down, she clutched his shoulders and matched him kiss for kiss, lick for lick, suck for suck, nibble for nibble.

  Ray left one hand on a breast and the other traveled down between her legs to her tantalizing pussy. She was so wet. His fingers slid back and forth, rubbing and teasing her. She bit his shoulder as he inserted one finger, then two inside her. Tight. She was so damn tight. She may not have been a virgin, but she sure as hell wasn’t very experienced either.

  His dick jumped as her hand encircled him, testing his length. Skitters of pleasure ricocheted up and down his spine.

  “That’s it, sunshine. Harder, faster. You won’t hurt it, I promise.”

  She began moving faster, then surprised him by cupping his balls and squeezing lightly. They tightened up like walnuts and he knew he had to stop her before he came on her delicate fingers. He gently removed her hand, shushing her protests with a kiss that seemed to last for hours. Long, slow kisses, full of wet heat.

  Ray knelt on the floor and spread her legs wide. He pulled her nether lips apart, then licked her in one long stroke from top to bottom. He breathed in her musky scent and his arousal heightened. My woman. She nearly jumped off the barrel onto a shelf with the pickles.

  “Jesus Christ and his heavenly mother. What are you doing?” she hissed.

  “Shhhhhh,” he whispered. “Just let me pleasure you.”

  He felt her tense up and try to close her legs, but he didn’t let her. No, ma’am. She wasn’t going anywhere. Ray was determined to feast on her luscious juices. He eased two fingers inside her and proceeded to lick, kiss and nibble her clit. Her scent teased him while her taste coated his tongue. Delicious and sweet, he lapped at her wetness until she moaned.

  “Oh my God,” she said. “Ray, oh my God. I can’t…it’s…please.”

  When he put three fingers inside her heat and suckled her clit, she came like a tornado. Pulling his hair, squeezing his head with her thighs and convulsing around his hand so hard, he thought he heard his knuckles pop. He lapped at her until the tremors stopped. With one last, long lick, he stood and wrapped his arms around her.

  He wasn’t surprised to find her trembling, but he was surprised when she grabbed him and slammed herself up against his incredibly hard staff. His little governess was as hot as fire.

  “I need you, Ray. Please.”

  His heart leapt along with the rest of him. No second request needed. He pulled her to the edge of the barrel and rubbed the head of his aching cock in her wetness.

  “Oh, my, that feels good,” she moaned.

  Ray grunted in response. He couldn’t possibly talk. After teasing both of them, he needed to be inside her. To become one with her. To find that lake of pleasure and peace. His eyes closed in pure ecstasy as he gently slid in. Heaven.

  My woman.

  He thrust in and out slowly, savoring every second, knowing they needed to hurry, but unable to. He wanted to grasp every last second of time and hold it as long as he could. The sounds of their flesh on flesh and her breath hitching was music to his ears. She was so tight, so fucking tight. Each time he slid in, he wanted to stay in. Forever.

  He rolled her nipples between his fingers, pinching and tweaking them to turgid peaks. What he really wanted to do was suckle them, but the angle was all wrong. When she scraped her nails on his nipples, he slammed into her so hard, the barrel moved.

  “Sorry,” he chuckled. She surprised him constantly. He’d never expect a governess to play with his nipples, but it damn well felt amazing.

  “Mmmm…again,” she said in his ear as she nibbled the lobe.

  It was the beginning of the end for him. The pleasure within him knew no bounds. He held onto her ass with both hands and started riding her. Faster and harder. The jars rattled a bit behind her. He didn’t really give a shit.

  “Yes! Ray, please… I’m almost…”

  Her whispered plea broke the dam. He reached down and flicked her clit twice and she exploded around him, squeezing and milking him. The muscles of her cunt felt like an iron fist and he came so hard, he nearly pushed her completely off the barrel. Over and over, his body shook with pleasure as it coursed through him. He held her close as the pulses of bliss echoed. Their heartbeats thumped in the inky blackness.

  “Lily, Lily, Lily,” he said against her temple. His breathing was harsh, blowing strands of her hair around his face.

  She kissed his cheek and leaned in closer.

  “I feel like I’ve done something really stupid, Ray.”

  “Nah, this wasn’t stupid.” He ran his hand up and down her soft back. “This was heaven.”

  She leaned back and he tried to peer at her in the dark. All he saw was a bit of a reflection in her eyes and the soft outline of her face.

  “Not this. I a
gree with you—it was heaven,” she whispered softly. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  ———

  Lily wished she could see his face, but it was too dark. She could, however, clearly feel him pull back. He quietly cleaned them both up with a neckerchief, then helped her into her nightgown and down from the barrel. After dressing, he held the curtain for her to go back into the kitchen, coat in hand.

  He hadn’t said a word since she confessed her love. Obviously he didn’t return her love and didn’t know how to turn her down gently. There wasn’t anything gentle about Ray Malloy. So he did the next best thing. Nothing.

  He let go of her arm by the table, then lit the lamp. The last she saw of him, he slipped on his coat and headed out the back door. Alone.

  She was scared to death. Her body still pulsed with the pleasure they’d shared in the pantry, but the wood floor felt like ice under her feet. She started to shiver and it wasn’t from cold. It was deeper than that.

  Lily was afraid she had just given her love to a man who would never accept it, nor ever be able to return it.

  ———

  Ray stood on the porch, staring blindly into the darkness of the night. His body still hummed from another incredible sexual encounter that shook him down to his soul.

  I think I’ve fallen in love with you.

  He wasn’t ready for that and he sure as hell wasn’t expecting it. It hit him like a horse kick to the guts.

  Jesus Christ on crutches!

  He knew she was trouble, but he had no idea how much. He couldn’t possibly ever return her love, but could he stay with her even knowing that? Would she want to be his mistress? Or, God forbid, his wife? He’d sworn never to marry again and here he was, talking to the stars about a woman who had gotten under his skin in three weeks. He didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t want to keep her either.

  He was thinking too much. Life tended to work itself out if you did nothing, didn’t it? He snorted at his own stupidity. It didn’t sound like a good idea. Lily would be expecting some kind of response, even if it was the one that hurt her irreparably.

  Could he be with someone he could never trust? Would she accept him without that trust? Too many questions and the answers would only come when he talked to her.