To Wed and Protect

by Carla Cassidy

  “I’m not, nor have I ever been married. I made up that story so we wouldn’t have to explain to people what had happened. I thought it would make things easier on the children. It was Jason’s idea to call me Mom. He said I would be his mom on earth, but we always talk about their mother in heaven.” Her voice cracked on the last sentence, and she drew a deep breath to steady herself.

  He nodded, his eyes curiously opaque. “That it makes things easier on the children is the best reason to tell a lie. What about their father? Where is he?”

  “Nobody knows. Apparently he’s disappeared off the face of the earth, and that’s just fine with me.” But Abby knew Justin was looking for them, hunting them down like prey. And she hoped he never, ever found them.

  “When you told me you’d had a rough year, you weren’t kidding. How are you holding up beneath all this?”

  She looked away from him, unable to see the compassion in his eyes and not fall apart. “My sister was my best friend. It was me who encouraged her to leave Justin in the first place.” She fought against a wave of killing guilt. “But I’m all right. I’m strong.”

  She drew a breath and squared her shoulders. “I have to be for the kids. They’re the ones I worry about. They have to live not only with the memory of that terrible night, but also with the knowledge that their father is a bad man.”

  Luke leaned back in his chair. “Kids are fairly resilient, and I’m a perfect example that kids can grow up and eventually deal with the fact that their father is a bad man.”

  “But your father didn’t kill your mother,” she replied.

  “That’s true,” he agreed easily. “But there were times I thought sure he was going to kill one of my brothers, or my sister, or me.”

  “He was really that mean?” she asked even though she could tell by his somber expression and the heavy tone of voice that he wasn’t exaggerating.

  “I thought he was the devil.”

  “How did you survive?”

  He shrugged. “We just did.” This time it was his turn to take a sip of his coffee before continuing. “Actually, the four of us all had our own way of coping with Father. Matthew was the good son who never broke the rules and worked from sunup to sundown with the single goal of pleasing the old man. Mark became invisible, never talking, trying to blend into the woodwork so he wouldn’t do anything to upset the old man.”

  He took another sip of his coffee and grinned. “Johnna, on the other hand, did just the opposite. She met my father with rebellion and rage and kept him stirred up most of the time.”

  “And what about you?” Abby asked.

  “Me? I learned how to sing. It was the one thing I did that pleased the old man. My dad used to play George Reeves records when we were growing up. By the time I was six I knew all the words to all the songs. One day my dad heard me singing in my room, and he called me down to his study and demanded I sing for him.”

  He drew a deep breath, and Abby saw the pain of memories cross his features. She reached for his hand, as he had done to her earlier. His hand was cool, as if the force of these memories had stolen all his body heat.

  “I went down to the study, knowing that if he didn’t like my singing he’d smack me or take off his belt and whack me. I was so scared that while I sang for him, I wet my pants.”

  “Oh, Luke.” All thoughts of Abby’s problems and worries fell aside as she grieved for the little boy who had sung for a monster and been so afraid he’d wet his pants.

  Emotion swam in the air, inside her, a depth of emotion for him and for the children she now claimed as her own.

  She released his hand only long enough to leave her chair, and as she stood, he did, as well. Together they met in an embrace. His arms wrapped around her, and she allowed herself to accept the comfort, the warmth and the strength she found there.

  Leaning her head against his broad chest, she could hear the pounding of his heart. “Your kids will be okay, Abby,” he said softly. “They’re lucky to have you. With your love and support they’re going to be just fine.”

  She’d hungered to hear those words from anyone, and for a moment her fears about the kids were soothed. She lifted her head from his chest and looked at him. She’d meant to thank him, to say how much his words meant to her, but the moment she saw the fire in his eyes, anything she might have meant to say left her mind.

  His lips crashed down on hers and instantly Abby knew she was going to make love with him. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today, at this moment, while they had the house to themselves and their depth of emotion had been transformed into lust.

  She wanted to be held, heartbeat to heartbeat, skin against skin. She needed to lose herself in the flames that lit his eyes and scorched her lips as his kiss sent electric currents racing through her.

  Luke didn’t have to be the right man in her life to be the right man at this moment. She gave herself to him, pressing against him with need, meeting his tongue with her own, stoking the flames of desire between them until they were totally out of control.

  Making love to Abby had been the last thing in Luke’s mind when he’d reached out to her. He’d been shocked by the information she’d shared with him, and equally shocked by how candid he’d been with her about his past with his father.

  But holding her, feeling her soft curves against him as her sweet scent filled his head, desire had unexpectedly awakened.

  When her lips met his with the same intense fever coupled with a yielding surrender, he was lost…lost despite the fact he knew they were moving too quickly and on the wave of heightened emotions.

  He finally pulled his mouth from hers. He stared at her, and in her eyes he saw a hunger that matched his own. “Abby.” He knew one of them needed to take control of the situation before it spun crazily out of control.

  “Shh.” She pressed two fingers to his lips then took his hand in hers and led him out of the kitchen. “Don’t stop this, Luke. It’s what you want, and for right now it’s what I want.”

  As she pulled him down the hallway toward her bedroom, Luke’s heart boomed rapidly. He’d wanted her from the first minute he’d laid eyes on her, and that desire had grown with each and every moment he’d spent in her company.

  The morning sunlight streamed into her bedroom window, and he noticed that her room had been transformed since last time he’d peeked into it. The bed was neatly made with a bedspread that was a splash of yellow sunflowers.

  Where before there had been a stack of boxes in the corner, there were now only two waiting to be unpacked.

  He scarcely had time to take all this in before his attention returned to Abby, who stood next to the bed. As he watched her, she pulled her T-shirt over her head.

  His breath caught in his chest at the sight of her. Clad in her jeans and a wispy, pale pink bra, she appeared fragile and more vulnerable than before. But the glow in her eyes as she unfastened her jeans and slid them down her slender legs was anything but vulnerable.

  He drank in the sight of her in the few seconds he had before she pulled down the spread and disappeared beneath the sheets on the bed.

  “Do you always keep your women waiting?”

  Her husky voice broke his inertia, and he ripped his T-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. He felt as if his fingers had all turned to thumbs as he worked the buttons on his fly. Before he allowed his jeans to fall on the floor, he took out his wallet, opened it and withdrew a foil package.

  When he was naked, he hesitated at the edge of the bed. He knew they had stirred up powerful emotions as they’d talked of their pasts, and he wanted to give her a chance to change her mind, didn’t want to in any way be accused of taking advantage of her vulnerability.

  “Luke, I promise no recriminations, no expectations.”

  Her words removed the last barrier between Luke and his desire for her. He placed the foil package on the nightstand, then slid beneath the sheets and reached out to her.

  She came willingly to meet him, her
body pressing against his as their lips sought each other in frenzied need. Luke had thought he’d spent the last week quietly seducing her, but he realized she’d been doing some seducing of her own. She’d stoked in him a fire of desire he’d never felt before.

  When he finally broke the kiss, he moved his lips down her jawline into the hollow of her throat. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him more tightly against her.

  His hands crept up to cup her breasts. Despite the silky material of her bra, he could feel her taut nipples beneath his fingertips. He raked his thumb across the tips and reveled at the sweet moan that escaped her.

  It took only moments for him to grow frustrated by the material that kept their bodies separate. With a groan, he reached behind her and unfastened her bra, then swept his hands downward to steal away her panties.

  She aided him in his efforts, shrugging the bra from her shoulders and raising her hips, then kicking off the lacy panties.

  He knew he wouldn’t be able to last too long, that the moment he entered her all control would be lost. And before that happened, he wanted to make love to her, to taste her sweet skin, to touch her in ways that made her wild with wanting him.

  And that’s exactly what he did. With the golden shine of sunlight slanting into the window, he threw back the sheets and made love to her.

  He loved the scent of her, the taste of her skin and the way she responded to each touch, every caress. She was an active lover, matching him touch for touch, kiss for kiss, caress for caress.

  Although he would have loved to make love to her throughout the morning hours, all too quickly he felt himself reaching the point of no return.

  “Luke,” she said, her voice taut with need. “Please…I want you.”

  That’s all he needed to hear. He picked up the foil package, surprised when she took it from him. Her eyes glittered with anticipation as she tore open the foil and removed the protective sheath.

  Her fingers were hot and radiated urgency as she rolled the condom onto his throbbing member. Immediately, he got on top of her and she parted her legs to welcome him. With one smooth motion he entered her, sliding into her tight warmth as a groan of intense pleasure escaped him.

  Her fingers dug into his back as he remained motionless, overwhelmed by sensation and momentarily afraid to move. He drew several deep breaths, fighting for control, then slowly, almost imperceptibly began to move his hips against hers in the age-old rhythm of need.

  He meant it to be slow and easy, building to a shattering conclusion. But it was impossible to go slow and easy. The sensations that rippled through him demanded faster…frenzied. And Abby demanded it, as well, setting the pace with hip thrusts that took him higher and higher.

  It wasn’t until she stiffened and cried out in splendor that he allowed himself the final release. Wave after wave of pleasure swept over him until he was gasping and spent.

  He rolled to her side, pulled her against him and waited for their breathing to return to normal. She curled against him, and he was vaguely aware of how well their bodies fit together. With her head on his shoulder, they fit together like puzzle pieces.

  He stroked a hand through her hair, marveling that it was, indeed, just as soft and silky as he’d imagined. “You okay?” he asked softly.

  “At the moment I’m better than okay. I feel simply marvelous.”

  “That’s because I’m a marvelous lover,” he teased.

  “Hadn’t I mentioned that before?”

  She laughed. “I believe you might have mentioned it before. I guess I can tell Stephanie that your legendary charm overwhelmed me,” she said lightly.

  He grinned. “I think I was the one that was overwhelmed by your considerable charm. Besides, one single occurrence does not a success make,” he countered.

  For a long moment they remained quiet, neither seemingly eager to break their embrace. “I’m sorry about your father being so mean,” she finally said.

  He leaned on one elbow and looked at her. The sunlight painted her face in golden tones, making her eyes appear a striking green. “And I’m sorry about your sister.” He gazed at her curiously. “What about your parents? Were they good ones?”

  Her lips curved into a smile that shot a new wave of desire through him. “They were the best. They were kind and loving and wonderfully supportive.” A tiny frown creased the center of her forehead. “What about your mother? You’ve never mentioned her.”

  “She died giving birth to Johnna. I was only a year old at the time, so I never really knew her.”

  She reached up and placed her palm against his cheek. “I wish you would have had the kind of parents I had.”

  “Are they still around?”

  A dark shadow stole the sparkle of her eyes. “No. They died four years ago in a car accident. I’m just grateful they weren’t around to know about Loretta. I think her death would have killed them.” The shadow disappeared. “And now we’d better get out of this bed.”

  In one fluid movement, she left his arms and rolled out of bed. He sat up and watched as she grabbed her bra and panties then disappeared into the adjoining bathroom.

  He remained in the bed as he heard the sound of a shower starting, deciding that when she finished, he’d jump in for a quick cleanup.

  His body still retained her fragrance, a scent that would be distracting as he worked the remainder of the afternoon. Even now, as he breathed deeply, he felt a renewed stir of desire for her.

  He frowned, not particularly pleased to find himself wanting her again so quickly, so strongly. It also bothered him that he had confided so much of his past to her. He’d never, ever told anyone about singing for his father and wetting his pants. Why on earth had he told her of that particular little embarrassing incident?

  He was still ruminating over this when she entered the bedroom clad in a bathrobe. “Abby…about what just happened…” he began, feeling the need to somehow insert a little distance between them.

  She held up her hand to silence him. “I told you, Luke. No recriminations and no expectations. What happened, happened. It’s over, it’s done.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and gazed at him somberly. “When Loretta was murdered, I was engaged to a man who professed to love children and value family above all else. When he realized I was taking on two scarred, frightened children, I expected him to be by my side, but he ran for the hills. When my sister left her husband, I thought that finally she was going to get a chance to live a happy, normal life, but I was wrong.”

  She got up from the edge of the bed and grabbed her jeans and her T-shirt. “I’ve learned the hard way to expect nothing from life or from people. I take it one day at a time.” She offered him a strained smile. “Don’t worry, Luke. As far as I’m concerned, we can forget this happened at all. The bathroom is all yours. I’ll finish dressing in one of the kids’ rooms.” With these words she left the bedroom.

  Luke stared after her, oddly disturbed by her words, and bothered that her words had disturbed him.

  Chapter 7

  Abby was almost grateful the next morning when Luke called her and said he wouldn’t be able to work at her place that day.

  She needed the day without his magnetic presence to get the ground firmly beneath her feet and deal with the embarrassment the events of the day before had created in her.

  She had probably been the easiest seduction the man had ever successfully completed. She’d practically thrown herself at him, insisting that he make love to her. Her cheeks burned at the memory of how forward she’d been and how glorious being in his arms had felt.

  She’d known from the moment she’d met Luke, when he’d teased her with those sooty eyes of his, that he would be a magnificent lover, and she hadn’t been wrong.

  He’d been gentle yet masterful, sweeping her into the heights of delight with hungry kisses and hot caresses. When his dark eyes had gazed at her, he’d made her feel more beautiful and more desirable than anyone had ever made her fee
l.

  With utter mastery and confidence, he’d known just where to touch, just how to kiss to produce a fiery hunger for him inside her.

  She spent the entire day trying to forget the power of his kisses, the warm comfort of his arms, the utter splendor of his naked body against hers.

  He called the next morning and told her once again that he had other business that wouldn’t allow him to get to her place that day. She wondered if perhaps he was trying to avoid her, and that only increased her embarrassment over the intimacy that had occurred between them.

  It was early Thursday morning, and she was standing at the edge of the road with the children waiting for the school bus, when she saw Luke’s familiar black pickup heading in their direction.

  She couldn’t help the small lurch of her heart as he parked the truck and stepped out. He was so darned sexy in his tight, worn jeans and the white T-shirt that pulled provocatively across the width of his chest.

  His thick, dark hair gleamed in the sun and despite herself her gaze swept across his chest to his bulging biceps, and she remembered how good it had felt to lay in his strong arms.

  He waved but didn’t approach. Instead he walked to the back of the truck and unloaded several pieces of lumber.

  “What’s he doing now?” Jason asked, his dark eyes focused on Luke.

  “He’s going to finish building us a nice, new porch,” Abby explained.

  Jason eyed her somberly, a tiny frown on his forehead. “When I’m in school, is he nice to you?”

  Abby saw the worry in his eyes and leaned down to draw his little body closer to hers. “He’s very nice.” Jessica stepped closer, as if she, too, momentarily needed the warmth of Abby’s arms around her.

  “There are good men and there are bad men,” she said to them. “Luke is a good man. He’s making our house nice, and he’s nice to me. He makes me smile.”

  “If he’s mean to you, I’ll kick him,” Jason exclaimed with a burst of little-boy bravado.

  “You know that kicking somebody is unacceptable,” Abby chided softly. “Besides, Luke would never do anything to hurt me. He’s a nice man.”