CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Of course, Patience knew that she should close her eyes when she was kissed. But she kept her eyes wide open, not wanting to miss anything. And so she watched as Brady slowly lowered his head toward hers. Watched as his eyes darkened with passion. Saw his lips part.
He held her face in his hands, tipped his head to one side, and then slanted his mouth across hers.
Lightning flashed within her.
Brilliant, white-hot light sizzled her blood, clouded her mind, and blurred her vision.
His lips, full and soft, caressed hers in a gentle motion that became more insistent, more demanding, as the seconds ticked past. Patience sucked in a small gasp of air and knew it wasn't enough — but she didn't care. All she could think of was the touch of Brady's lips on hers.
Warm, tender, he held her and tasted her as if she were a particularly luscious dessert. Her breath shuddered in and out of her lungs. Her heartbeat quickened, pounding in her breast with enough force to send it smashing through her rib cage.
And she wanted more.
As if sensing her need, her urgency, Brady parted her lips with his tongue and the magic she remembered with such clarity came rushing back to her. Again, she felt his soul touch hers. She felt the bone deep assurance that they belonged together. That this was destined. That they were truly soulmates, fated to be complete only when joined together.
His tongue swept into her mouth and she relished the sensations pooling in her center and then spreading to every inch of her body. Heat filled her. Liquid fire raced along her veins, igniting within her a passion she'd never known before. This was what she'd waited for, hoped to find. This was why she couldn't have married the man her father had chosen for her.
Because only with Brady Shaw could she find such… completeness.
His hands slipped down to her shoulders, his fingertips kneading her skin, and even through the fabric of her dress, she felt the wonder of his touch. And yet, it wasn't enough. She needed more. Needed to feel all of him.
Boldly, she lifted her hands to the front of his shirt and slowly, clumsily, began to unbutton it. He broke the kiss, pulling his head back to look at her, and Patience ignored the quick slash of embarrassment that heated and no doubt colored her cheeks with bright red splotches. This was no time to be shy.
She was finally where she was meant to be. In the circle of Brady's arms. And as he looked at her, she felt the strength of his gaze and it gave her power. Flush with the sense of it, she continued down the length of buttons, opening his shirt, baring his chest.
Patience breathed deeply, then slid her hands under the plain white cotton material, to feel his hard, solid muscled flesh beneath her palms.
He hissed in a breath and narrowed his gaze. "Jesus, Patience," he managed to say. "You’re killin' me."
"That's not my intention," she said, sliding her fingertips along the wall of his chest, exploring his skin, loving the feel of the dark, soft hair curled on his flesh.
He choked out a laugh. "It's not, huh?"
"Oh no," she said, looking up into his eyes, "I want you very much alive."
Then she ran her palms across his flat nipples and smiled when he groaned and clenched his jaw tight.
"Honey," he whispered, "I'm more alive than what's good for you."
"You're good for me, Brady."
"I almost wish that was so, Patience," he said through gritted teeth.
"It is, Brady," she said, leaning into him, scraping her hands up his chest, across his shoulders, feeling his muscles bunch at her touch. "It is so. Can't you feel it?"
His hands fisted at her back as he lifted her up and gathered her close, pressing her against him with enough strength to squeeze the air from her lungs. "What I feel," he said, looking up to meet her gaze, "is you. Only you."
She stared back at him, recognizing the flash of desire in his dark blue eyes. She felt his strangled breathing, sensed the tightly leashed power in his body. And made a decision.
“That's enough. Brady," she whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "For now, that's enough."
"All I can promise you is now, Patience."
"Then give it to me," she said. “Give me now and tomorrow can take care of itself."
Slowly, deliberately, he lowered her, letting her body slide against his until she was sitting in his lap with the strength of his arms encircling her. He lifted one hand to smooth her hair back from her face, his fingertips sliding across her cheek.
"Beautiful," he whispered as he lowered his head to hers. "So beautiful."
And as his lips came down on hers again, Patience felt pretty for the first time in her life.
He tipped her back, cradling her head in the crook of his left arm, and while his mouth worked magic on hers, his right hand slid up and around to cup her breast. Patience sighed into his mouth and he swallowed it, taking that small rush of air for his own.
Her breasts ached.
Actually ached.
She'd never known a sensation like this. His hand cupped her and even through the fabric of her dress she felt the impression of each of his fingers. Then he touched her nipple and that small bud of flesh tightened, springing to life with his attentions. A tingling raced from her breast to her abdomen and then lower. A soft, slow, burning ache settled between her legs and she squirmed uncomfortably, trying to ease it.
But there was no relief. Only more of the same.
He touched her, running his free hand up and down her body. First her breast, then her waist and her hip. Then he cupped her behind and kneaded the soft flesh there until she moaned, the sound muffled by his mouth.
Brady took every sigh, every gasp, every sound she made and buried it deep within him, like a treasure to be protected and guarded. He kissed her and felt himself falling into the golden depths of her eyes. He touched her and experienced her reactions as well as his own. He'd never known anything like this.
Her untutored responses drove him wild. Fed the flames threatening to engulf him. Made him want to take more, to give more. To feel more.
It was as if they were one. Everything she felt, he did too. Magic shimmered in the air around them. Unexplainable. As impossible as the flowers growing out of the walls. It couldn't be happening, and yet it was.
His tongue laid siege to her mouth, caressing, stroking, exploring, and her every whimper echoed inside him, reverberating right down to his soul. He felt it all with her as if for the first time. And the strength of the passion rising within nearly choked him.
Yet he wanted… needed more.
Sweeping his right hand up to the row of buttons that began at the neck of her dress, Brady undid them expertly, one by one, with a flick of his thumb and forefinger. He felt her stiffen slightly, but when he slid his hand beneath the fabric, to cup her breast through the fine lawn material of her chemise, Patience sighed, her body melting into his.
Breaking the kiss, he lifted his head to stare down at her. She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze, and Brady's heart swelled at the damp emotion blanketing the golden eyes he knew so well.
"Brady," she said, arching into his touch, "it feels —“
"Perfect," he finished for her and slipped the chemise down far enough to bare her breast to his gaze.
"Yes," she whispered, nodding, "perfect."
He dipped his head and took her nipple into his mouth and was nearly swamped by the rush of emotion pouring through him. Hers, his, he couldn't distinguish between them anymore. And he didn't care. It was enough to be here. With her. Holding her. Loving her. If he died tonight, he'd leave this world a happy man for these moments with Patience.
His tongue circled the hardened bud of flesh, and with every sweeping caress, she arched higher into him, offering herself, silently asking for more. And he gave it to her.
He suckled her, gently at first, and then as she grabbed at his shoulders and clung to him, he drew at her breast with tight lips and the edges of his teeth.
Wonder spa
rkled through her and Patience nearly forgot how to breathe. And it didn't matter. Nothing was as important as the feel of Brady's hands and mouth on her body.
When his lips closed around her nipple, she almost shot straight up into the air. She'd had no idea. No way of knowing what intimacies were shared between a man and a woman. His mouth teased her, caressed her, tugged at her breast until she felt the drawing of his lips to the bottom of her heart.
He shifted, turning her in his arms so that he could lavish attention on each of her breasts in turn, and while he did, his right hand swept down the length of her. Sliding beneath the hem of her skirt, his palm moved up her calf, past her knee, up her thigh and to the damp, warm spot that joined her legs.
Patience held on to his shoulders, digging her fingers into his flesh to stabilize her grip on the world. If she let go of him now, she knew she would slide off the edge of the planet.
He cupped the most intimate, private part of her body and the moment he did, Patience felt a shuddering sensation surge through her. She gasped, threw her head back, and stared blindly at the ceiling overhead.
"Brady —“
"It's all right, darlin'," he whispered, lifting his head long enough to reassure her. "Just let it come, Patience. Let yourself feel it."
"It's too much," she said, fighting against the powerful tingling rising up from her middle.
"It's never too much," he said, and dipped one finger through the slit in her drawers to slide deeply within her.
And Patience's body bowed. Her back arched high off his lap. She dug her fingers into his shoulders until she wouldn't have been surprised to learn she'd drawn blood. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught.
He touched her again, deeper this time, and she cried out his name as wave after wave of sensation washed over her, nearly drowning her in the onslaught. Her body trembled. Brilliant colors flashed in front of her eyes. She gasped wildly for air only to sigh it out again as the last few ripples of feeling eased through her, leaving her limp and tingling.
"Oh, sweet heaven," she murmured, blinking until her vision cleared enough to see Brady smiling down at her.
“That about describes it, I suppose," he said, shifting position again until she was lying on the narrow bed and he was on his side next to her.
"I had no idea," she said, licking dry lips. "Really, you should have warned me."
He chuckled. “Then you wouldn't have been surprised."
"Surprise is part of it?"
“The first time," he said.
Regret pooled inside her briefly. "I wish it had been your first time, too."
His smile slowly faded and he reached for her, spearing his fingers through her hair, turning her head until she was looking directly at him. “This is better than my first time, Patience. Because it's my first time with you."
Her heart melted, then instantly swelled to life again, full of the love she'd always carried for him. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and asked, "Can we do that again?"
“That and a whole lot more," he assured her and moved to help her out of her dress.
In seconds, it seemed, Patience was lying there naked, and she watched with interested eyes as Brady stood up and quickly got out of his own clothes. His broad, tanned chest was finely muscled and dusted with a smattering of tight, dark curls. His waist was narrow, his legs incredibly long, and his… Her eyes widened at the size of him.
He must have read her expression because he lay down beside her, gathered her into his arms, and whispered, "Don't worry. We'll fit fine."
And then every thought in her head disappeared. All she could concentrate on was the luxurious feeling of being surrounded by his warm, strong flesh. Pressed along his length, she felt his arousal and experienced a brief flash of sensual power. She did this to him. She created a fire in him that could only be quenched by their joining.
And with that power came a new confidence and the courage to follow her own heart's desires. Turning around in his arms, Patience shifted until she was able to kiss his chest. Her mouth slid across the hard strength of him, tasting, exploring, and with every kiss, she heard his quick intake of breath and knew that he was as moved by this experience as she.
She found his flat nipple and flicked her tongue against it as he had done to her. He groaned tightly and cupped the back of her head in his palm, holding her to him. Her hands moved over his body, getting to know the feel of him, teaching herself everything about him. But when she reached down and nervously curled her fingers around his hard length, Brady gasped and instantly flipped them over until she was lying beneath him.
"What is it?" she asked. "Did I do something wrong?"
"God, no," he told her, levering himself up on one elbow. "But one more touch of your hand and it would have been over."
She wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, but a pleased smile curved her lips anyway. “Then I was doing it right?"
"Oh yeah," he murmured, and bent his head for a kiss. "You were doing just fine."
Then Brady slid along her length, trailing his lips and tongue down her body. Across her breasts, down her abdomen to —
"Brady?"
"Easy, Patience," he whispered and slid farther down, letting his fingers caress her skin as his mouth claimed her body in a way she never would have imagined.
She gasped aloud and reached blindly for him. But he wouldn't be stopped. His tongue swept across her most intimate flesh, delving into her secrets, caressing her until her body nearly wept with renewed need. Again and again, he tasted her, insistent as he pushed her higher, higher.
Patience's breathing staggered. Her heart pounded. Her hips lifted and fell in time with the rhythm he set and when she thought she might explode, he shifted again, this time moving to cover her body with his.
He knelt between her legs and as she watched him through eyes hazed with unspent passion, he entered her, making himself a part of her.
"Oh, Brady," she whispered, wincing just a little as her body stretched to accommodate his. She felt him filling her, becoming one with her, and she knew that this was the magic as it was intended. For man and woman to become one person. One whole made up of two parts. Their bodies joined, she felt their souls entwine and knew they would never really be separate again.
"Ah, Patience," he murmured, his voice low and husky with hunger.
He moved within her, sending sparks of awareness scuttling throughout her body. She knew now what awaited her. And Patience raced to meet that glorious sensation.
Brady lay atop her, bracing himself with his hands at either side of her head. She wrapped her arms around him, glorying in the feel of his body, so closely attuned with her own. His hips rocked against hers, setting the tempo that she quickly followed.
In moments, the ancient dance became all. It became everything. Time stopped. Hearts paused. Even the storm outside eased.
Brady stared down at her and Patience met his hungry gaze with her own. She felt herself drawn into the dark blue of his eyes and wanted nothing more than to drown in their depths. He touched her face, her neck. He bent to kiss her, and with his mouth claiming hers, she felt the first tiny explosion deep within.
Lifting her hips into the feeling, she reached for it, welcoming the spiral of sensation that would pull her down into a whirlwind of mind-numbing pleasure. He moved again and her body splintered. She felt it break apart, sizzle in the air, and come together again all in the space of a few heartbeats. And when she was spent, she held him tightly and cradled him when he took his own fall.
#
"Well, now!" Treasure said as she came down the stairs.
Lily woke up, blinked the sleep from her eyes, and instantly remembered where she was.
At some point last night, she and Sam had sat down on the floor, braced their backs against the wall, and fallen asleep. Now, when it was too late, when Treasure had already found them together, she tried to move away from him. But the sheriff wouldn't allow that. He kept his arm tight around her
shoulder and held her right where she was.
"Looks like I missed a party of some kind last night," Treasure said as she took the last step and entered the store.
"Nothing happened," Lily sputtered, and wanted to kick herself. Her life now was so new. So fragile. Had she ruined everything by disgracing herself in Treasure's eyes?
Wouldn't that be perfect? she thought. For the first time in years, she'd spent an entire night with a man and done nothing more than talk to him. Well, a kiss or two, yes. But Sam had treated her with the same respect he would have shown a "good" woman. And that meant more to Lily than anything.
Still, if Treasure didn't believe her… if she looked at her as she and every other woman in town had up until a couple of weeks ago… Lily didn't know if she could stand it.
“Treasure," she said, when she was sure her voice wouldn't break, "the sheriff and I — we were just talking and —“
"Hell, honey, I know that," the woman said, easing her fears instantly. "But on the other hand, you are fraternizing with the enemy." She glanced at the sheriff pointedly.
He sighed dramatically and stood up, holding one hand out to Lily to help her to her feet. Then he looked at the storekeeper. "How much longer do you figure the women in this town are going to be at war with their men?"
Treasure's gaze slid toward the window. "If not for that storm, it might've gone on for days yet," she said. "But what with how cold it was last night, I figure most of 'em are cuddled up right now, just trying to keep warm." Then she looked at Lily and smiled. "That what you two were trying to do?"
Lily actually blushed and it surprised her. She hadn't thought herself still capable of embarrassment. But then, she hadn't thought she'd be able to feel the thrill of excitement in a simple kiss either. And Sam had taught her how wrong she'd been about that. But now wasn't the time to be thinking about it. "We were waiting up. Hoping that Brady would get back to town with Patience."
Treasure's smile slipped. "I guess he didn't, then?"
"Not that I know of," Sam told her. “But we fell asleep too. So I'll just go over to the saloon and check."
When the Halo Falls, a heavenly romance Page 18