by Lyn Horner
Jessie had dreamed of David, of being his wife, but she hadn’t counted the cost of parting with her brother. He was the rock she’d leaned on for so long, the one who had calmed her after her battles with their father, the one who had always provided a shoulder to cry on when she needed it. Choking on her tears, she couldn’t make herself release him.
Gently but firmly, he pried her fingers loose and stepped back, saying, “Your place is with your husband now, Jess.”
His words hit home with numbing force. When David stepped to her side, curling his arm around her, she didn’t resist. Sniffling, she wiped the tears from her face as the two men shook hands and bid one another a brief farewell. She struggled for control when Tye bent close to kiss her cheek.
“Take care of yourself, colleen,” he said huskily.
“I will. And you do the same, brother dear,” she whispered.
* * *
Approaching CampDouglas a while later, David turned a considering gaze upon his silent wife. Flushed from the heat and from her bout of weeping, with her lacy hat slightly askew on her wind-blown curls, she took no notice of him. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, wearing a sad expression as she stared at the rugged peaks of the WasatchMountains.
“You look as if you’ve just been to a funeral instead of your own wedding,” he said irritably.
“I . . . I’m sorry,” she replied, studying her hands. “But Tye isn’t only my brother, he’s been my best friend, and in a way I do feel as if I’ve just buried him.” She lifted questioning eyes to David. “Have ye never felt this way yourself?”
David thought of his aunt, who he knew he would never see again, and he recalled the emptiness he’d felt after his father ordered him off the ranch. “I reckon so,” he said, irritation dissolving. “But I’d as soon forget my ghosts, at least for tonight.” He smiled at Jessie. “Think maybe you could do the same, Mrs. Taylor?”
She looked away, her rosy flush deepening. “I’ll try,” she said softly.
A moment later, David returned the sentry’s salute at the entrance to CampDouglas. He headed the buggy down a graveled street along the parade ground, toward officers’ row at the end of the grassy expanse. The “camp” was a little city in itself and far more settled than any frontier post he’d served at previously. Jessie would be safe here from Blake Stanton. That was the main reason for their rushed wedding, David reminded himself.
Just before leaving Alta, they’d had a visit from the town marshal. He’d learned that Stanton had passed through Sandy in the dark hours of morning after the shooting. He’d forced a doctor to treat his wounds at gunpoint. Then he’d knocked the man senseless, stolen a fresh horse and gotten away. Wanted posters with a drawing of his mangled face would soon be posted all over Utah, but David did not find that very reassuring.
Neither did Jessie, and that was just as well, he thought. If she was scared enough, maybe she’d be careful while he was away, chasing down his quarry, Ellis.
He drew up outside the private bungalow he’d been assigned to temporarily in deference to his new wife. Colonel Morrow wasn’t about to do him any favors, not after he’d lied to the man and neglected his duty, grounds for punishment if the commander so chose. However, due to circumstances and David’s pending resignation, Morrow had simply ordered him to head out first thing tomorrow and not come back until he completed his mission. Punishment enough, David conceded, since he’d have to tear himself away from his blushing bride.
He stepped down from the buggy and tethered the horse. When he went to help Jessie from the buggy, she extended her hand to him, expecting him to steady her as she descended, but he had other ideas. Grasping her waist, he swung her down, grinning at her cry of astonishment. He stood her before him, hands riding her hips, and cocked his head, looking her over from head to toe.
“I haven’t told you how beautiful you look in your wedding gown, sweetheart,” he said. “I was mighty proud to claim you as mine today.”
Jessie was thrilled by his praise, but his last few words brought to mind his half-amused warning to Captain Roberts and the embarrassment she’d felt at the time. “I’m glad ye approve of my appearance, sir, and I . . . I feel the same way about you,” she confessed. Watching his lips curl into a smile, she hastily added, “But I must ask ye not to be threatening any more gentlemen for merely offering me a compliment.”
David let go of her and stared at her, eyebrows jutting upward in surprise. “Good God! Are you talking about Roberts?”
“I certainly am,” she said crisply. “You had no need to speak to him so rudely – and embarrass me!” Tossing her head, she swept past him and up the steps to the small house. She heard him snatch her valise from the buggy and charge after her, muttering under his breath.
Overtaking her a few paces inside the door, he dropped the valise with a loud thud, caught her arm and spun her around, wresting a startled gasp from her lips. Her hands instinctively rose, trying to hold him at bay. He narrowed his eyes at her as he kicked the door shut behind him.
“Dammit, Jessie, that popinjay was practically drooling over you. Did you expect me to just stand there and watch?”
“Don’t swear at me!” she fired back, attempting to shake off his hands but failing. “And don’t exaggerate so. He was only flirting. It meant nothing. Ye must be mad not to know that.”
He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped. Taking a deep breath, he spoke quietly, his voice suddenly husky. “I am mad. Mad for you, so much that I hurt with it.”
“Oh!” she blurted, anger passing as quickly as a summer squall. She stared into his eyes, the eyes she’d so often met in her dreams.
“No ghosts,” he said, “and no quarreling. Not tonight. Is it a bargain?”
“A-aye,” she stuttered. “B-but the night hasn’t come yet.”
“It has for us, darlin’,” he decreed in his most seductive drawl. Smiling, he drew her in, guided her arms around his neck, and slid his hands down her back in a long, sweeping stroke that molded her to him from breast to thighs.
They were both hot and sweaty from the ride out here, and the little house was far from cool. But the heat only made Jessie more aware of David’s virile scent and of her hunger for him as he bent his dark head toward her. A soft sigh floated from her lips and she closed her eyes as his mouth settled over hers.
He kissed her slowly and deeply, making her breasts tingle and her insides ache. By the time he ended the incredible kiss she was sagging weakly in his arms. Her breath rushed in and out of her as he dropped moist caresses upon her cheeks and eyes and temples.
“God, how I want you!” he said hoarsely, and she moaned in reply. He dipped his head, nuzzling her throat and the tender flesh above the v-neck of her bodice. “Lilacs. You always smell like lilacs.”
“They’re my favorite flowers,” she whispered, fingers weaving through his heavy, silken hair. “But if ye don’t like the scent –”
“I like it fine, on you.” His tongue flicked out, tasting her, setting off fiery charges all over her body. One big hand glided around to gently knead her breast through the layers of clothing. He teased the stiffened crest with his thumb and liquid fire swept through her.
“David!” she cried.
His mouth reclaimed hers, and their tongues mated wildly. At the same time, he began to unfasten the multitude of hooks down the back of her gown, making her shiver as a breath of air tickled her humid skin.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said against her lips, mistaking her shiver for a tremor of fear.
“I’m not,” she whispered. Fear had no place amid the feverish anticipation she was feeling.
Impatient with all the hooks, David pushed her partially open gown down far enough to allow him access to her shoulders and the upper curves of her breasts. His hands and lips explored the freshly exposed areas, and she reveled in his touch, but soon, it wasn’t enough for either of them. Grabbing her hand, David pulled her down the short hall, into a bedroom furnished
with the essentials – wardrobe, dressing table, washstand, and most importantly, a bed big enough for two.
“Let me open the window,” he said, moving to admit the late afternoon breeze. It wasn’t cool, but at least it stirred the air.
Striding back to Jessie, David stepped behind her and finished unhooking her gown. She helped him push the clinging silk down her arms and held it bunched at her waist, catching her breath as he planted kisses down her nape and the hollow of her spine. When she swayed from the dizzying effect, he steadied her and turned her to face him.
His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened as he stared at her breasts – pushed up by her corset until they nearly overflowed her low-cut camisole. He cleared his throat as if he had something stuck in it. Both flustered and gratified by his reaction, she quivered inside as she bent to step out of her wilted gown, knowing he watched her every move.
“I’d better hang this up.” She turned toward the wardrobe, but he stopped her.
“I’ll do it,” he said, taking the gown from her. “Why don’t you get out of that.” He waggled a finger at her corset. “Unless you, uh, need some help,” he added, lips quirking in a devilish way.
“Nay, I can do it,” she said, setting to work on the spring-latched front fasteners. Once she freed herself from the constricting garment, she heaved a sigh of relief and tossed the miserable thing aside. By then, David had hung up her gown and was unbuttoning his heavy blue coat. She hastily disposed of her petticoat and stockings while he hung the coat next to her gown. When he turned around she stood in her drawers and thin nainsook camisole, hands nervously clasped at her waist.
David drew a harsh breath at the sight of her. She was a vision with her filmy undergarments clinging to her like a second skin. He stared at her barely concealed breasts with their hardened tips standing out so enticingly, then let his gaze slide downward to the shadowy triangle of her woman’s mound. The throbbing in his groin intensified.
“Darlin’, you’d tempt a saint,” he said thickly. Walking toward her, he tugged his shirt out of his trousers and swiftly popped open the buttons.
Jessie stared at his chest, then lowered her eyes, wringing her hands nervously. She wasn’t quite as brave as she wanted him to believe, he thought, halting in front of her.
“Look at me, Jessie,” he ordered in a more controlled tone.
Biting her lip, she slowly lifted her head and met his gaze.
“I mean to take things slow and easy so we’ll both enjoy this. But I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
She hesitated before giving a jerky nod, breathing fast.
“Touch me,” he coaxed, catching her hands and drawing them to his chest. “And I’ll touch you. That’s how it starts.”
He caressed her arms and shoulders and the upper curves of her breasts, marveling at her satiny skin. She quivered under his hands and blushed prettily as she conducted her own explorations under his parted shirt. His blood boiled at her touch and his hands shook as he opened her camisole. Brushing the sheer fabric aside, he caught his breath at the sight of her bared breasts. Creamy-white with plump rosy tips, they tested his self-control. He wanted to drag her down on the bed, feast upon her luscious flesh and bury himself within her now, without another moment’s delay. But he heard the disturbed sound she made and felt her clutch at his shoulders, and he ruthlessly ordered himself to go slow.
“Trust me, love,” he repeated, smiling into her wide bluebonnet eyes. Very gently, he slipped an arm around her and leaned down. He buried his face in the valley between her breasts, inhaling her sweet scent again. Then, while he caressed one lovely white globe with his free hand, he spread tender kisses over its twin. Reaching the eager peak, he teased it with his tongue, drawing little gasps from Jessie, then took it into his mouth and sucked deeply, drawing a strangled cry from her.
He transferred his mouth to her other breast, and soon Jessie was whimpering softly, while he grew so full and heavy, it was a wonder he didn’t explode. Returning to claim her lips again, he drew her against him and groaned as her nipples bored into his chest.
Jessie was caught in a whirlwind of physical sensation and eager for more. When David started to push her drawers down over her hips, she gave a wiggle, freeing herself from them, and heard him inhale sharply. Feeling his hands tremble as they drifted over her hips and buttocks, she reveled in the knowledge that she could excite him that much. Then he lifted her off her feet and held her tight against him, the cloth-covered bulge of his manhood pressing into her belly, adding to her own excitement.
Still kissing her, he walked to the bed, flung back the covers and lowered her onto the cool sheet. She moaned in complaint when he broke away, then watched in silent fascination as he shrugged out of his shirt, revealing his broad, furred chest to her appreciative gaze. He kicked off his shoes and started to unfasten his trousers. Losing her nerve at that point, Jessie snapped her eyes shut.
He chuckled at her shyness. “I’m your husband, Jessie. You’re allowed to look at me. Just like I’m allowed to enjoy looking at you.”
“I-I-I can’t,” she squeaked, excruciatingly aware of her own nakedness. A breeze from the window wafted across her, and she shivered, fighting an urge to cross her arms over her body.
“Sorry,” David said. “I reckon I’m rushing you. Maybe later, hmm?”
Feeling the bed dip, she held her breath as he stretched out beside her, only to release it with an “Oh!” of pleasure when he ran his hand lightly over her breasts and across her belly. Sparks of lightning shot through her. She bit her lip and clutched at the bed sheet, peeping at him beneath her lashes, watching his eyes follow his hand as it swept down along her hip and thigh.
“You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he murmured, the words pouring over her like warm honey. Leaning close, he plundered her lips again while his soft chest hair brushed her sensitive nipples. The pressure of his hard male shaft against her hip shocked her at first, but it quickly fed her internal flames.
Shyness forgotten, Jessie stroked David’s back, admiring the muscles that shifted and bunched under her hands and glorying in the strength of his long, sinewy form next to her softness. It flashed into her mind that this was exactly how she’d pictured them in her dreams, but reality put those feeble dream images to shame. Thrilling to his caresses, she panted with delight when his mouth burned a path downward. His lips and tongue courted her breasts while his hand dallied amid the springy curls surrounding her womanhood, making her catch her breath.
“Open your legs for me, love,” he murmured, green eyes glittering like emeralds above her, and she obeyed without question.
His knowing fingers parted her damp folds and found the hidden source of her desire. She writhed and whimpered as he stroked and tugged on the tiny nubbin. Swallowing her cries, he delved into her with one finger, then two, in and out, time and again, driving her wild.
She frantically tore her mouth from his. “Please!” she begged, without really knowing what she was begging for. “Please!”
“All right, sweetheart,” he said hoarsely, shifting to lie between her thighs. “Just hold on.”
Focused on her body’s feverish need, she clung to him as he worked himself slowly into her tight opening. He encountered her maiden’s veil and paused. Kissing her, he pulled back, then drove deep, tearing through the barrier. Jessie cried out at the sharp pain, the sound muffled by his mouth, and dug her fingernails into his back.
He shuddered and lay still, breathing hard. After a moment, he raised his head to look at her. “Are you all right?” he asked tightly.
She nodded. The pain had receded to a stinging ache. Mainly, she was aware of being stretched and filled – not altogether unpleasant. “Show me . . . what’s next,” she panted.
Sweat had broken out on his face, and she could feel his tension, but he managed to grin. “Yes, ma’am! Whatever the lady wants.”
He withdrew most of the way, then slowly sank into her again, dee
per this time, offering her every inch of his considerable length. Groaning, he grimaced and screwed his eyes shut as he once more pulled out. “I’m trying to go slow . . . like I promised,” he muttered. “But, God, I want to move!”
“You . . . are!” she gasped as he slipped a hand under her bottom and lifted her to meet his next thrust.
“Faster, I mean.” Despite his own wishes, he slowly rocked into her again, adding a sinuous motion that jolted her to her inmost depths. Gritting his teeth, he continued until she was thrashing and moaning under him.
“I want . . . faster, too!” she cried frantically.
He gave a low growl and quickened his thrusts, setting a fierce, untamed rhythm that Jessie matched stroke for stroke. The volcanic sensations building inside her grew and grew until she thought she would die from the sweet torment. She clung to David, sobbing his name, and at last the eruption came, drawing a cry of wonder from her lips as she lost herself on a fiery river of delight. She felt David stiffen and heard his answering cry of ecstasy while the aftershocks still shook her.
He collapsed upon her, his face buried in her hair, his rapid breathing warm on her neck. His weight made it a bit difficult for her to breath, yet she found it comforting. When he lifted off of her some moments later, she issued a soft protest that brought speedy results. Rolling her toward him, he settled her against his side and pressed her head to his shoulder.
“Sleep,” he said, dropping a kiss upon her temple, and she did.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
David opened his eyes to darkness and found the bed empty beside him. Sitting up, he saw his wife standing by the window in the moonlight. She wore his discarded white shirt, the night breeze causing it to billow around her. Hearing her stifled sob, he cursed silently and tossed back the covers he’d pulled over them at some point. The bed squeaked when he got up, making Jessie jump and turn toward him.