OUT OF THE DARKNESS (THE PRESCOTT SERIES)

by B. J. McMinn

  Before Jason could express the objections John saw forming, Margaret dragged him into their bedroom and shut the door. Leaving Jason no other choice, but to lead Jade down the hall to the room they would share.

  “You go on in. I’ll be back in a little while.” He heard Jason tell Jade.

  Margaret flopped down on the bed and removed her shoes. He’d unfastened three buttons on his shirt when a knock sounded on the door. He yanked it open and found a red-faced Jason shifting from one foot to the other.

  “John do you have any, uh, underwear I could borrow for the night?” Jason whispered, apparently not wanting Margaret privy to his embarrassment.

  Jason peered around him and hurled a reproachful look at his sister sitting on the edge of the bed. As if this awkward situation was her fault for putting him and Jade in the same bedroom.

  “Sure,” John turned away, a smile playing across his lips. Jason must be in a real dilemma for him to make such a request. Walking to the chest, he took a neatly folded pair of underwear from the drawer. Placing them in Jason’s hand, he grinned. “Will that be all?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Giving Margaret one more disgruntled look, he headed back to his room.

  John closed the door and finished undressing.

  “What was that all about?” Margaret asked.

  Pushing her back onto the bed, John chuckled, “Let me show you instead.”

  He proceeded to show her. Minus the underwear.

  ~~~

  When Jason mentioned staying the night, he hadn’t considered the sleeping arrangements. Standing in the hall, Jason cast wary glances at the door he knew Jade was behind, preparing for bed. Vivid images of her dress slithering down her slender hips and of the cool night air tightening the rosy tips of her exposed luscious breasts, lust heated his groin with each tantalizing scenario. His cock strained against the buttons of his trousers. He was certainly in need of something to cover any evidence of his turgid condition.

  He could do this, he told himself. It wouldn’t be the first time he had shared a bed with her. Although, the other times she had been asleep and didn’t know they had slept together. He would wait a little longer, give her time to go to sleep.

  She could do this, Jade reasoned. She must have slept with a man before, although, the thought of that man being Jason sent her senses careening over into a bottomless pit. A little frisson of heat worked its way over her nerve endings, as it did each time Jason came near.

  It was wrong, she knew, to want more than what he offered. Surely, a man needed a woman sometime, and she wanted to be that woman for Jason. She would just have to make herself available and maybe he would take things from there.

  Jason hoped she would be asleep by the time he returned. No such luck. Of course, luck had not been on his side lately. There she sat in the middle of the small bed. Dressed in one of those thin, revealing nightgowns Margaret was so fond of dressing her in.

  Not wanting to embarrass her, he blew out the lamp. He chose the darkest corner to undress and slid his long legs into the borrowed underwear. Moonlight bathed the room in muted shadows. Moving toward the bed, he saw she held the covers back for him. He slid onto the soft mattress and turned on his side to face her, willing his body to relax.

  He congratulated himself on his monumental accomplishment until Jade took his hand in both of hers and placed it under her cheek. But, instead of the tension increasing, as he would have supposed, it unwound, leaving him more at ease in her presence. He felt content to be in this intimate setting without constraints, except by the boundaries of his own making.

  It seemed odd. He had dreaded getting into the same bed with Jade, afraid the sexual attraction he felt for her would be unbearable. It seemed natural, as a calmness settled over him. He felt free to talk to her before she fell into her nightmarish sleep.

  “Jade I want you to get everything you need for you and the baby.”

  He could barely see her face in the moonlight shining through the window. He could feel her green eyes looking at him in the dark, gauging his every word. Touching the curl that had fallen across her face, he pushed it back, leaving his hand to caress her cheek.

  “Do you understand?” He felt the familiar nod of her head and said, “Good.”

  He let his hand drift down her arm, adjusted her nearer to him. When she gave no protest, he explored further, if anything she snuggled closer. Encouraged, he put his arm under her head and drew her closer to his chest. He explored her back, from neck to waist, softly, so not to alarm her. He didn’t know how experienced she was with men or maybe she couldn’t remember, but he fully intended to encourage her memory recovery process in this area.

  His hand splayed gently across her slightly rounded tummy and not for the first time he wondered about her child. Had she laid willingly with someone–or everyone? Had Indians raped her? Maybe, she has a husband somewhere looking for her. The thought caused a sour taste in Jason’s mouth.

  If she had a husband, he couldn’t be far enough away not to have found her. She couldn’t have traveled far by herself in her condition.

  “Jade, do you know how far along you are with child?” At her nod, he asked, “Can you tell me?”

  Jade held up six fingers close to his face. Jason chuckled.

  “Then we need to plan for a January birth. If the weather is bad, a doctor won’t be able to get to the ranch.” He strained to see her in the shrouded darkness before he asked his next question. “Will you trust me to deliver your baby, Jade?” Jason held her tighter.

  If she didn’t want her baby born at the ranch, he would have to leave her and Emma in town with Margaret. He didn’t want to, but he would. He placed his hand on her stomach as if to protect her and her unborn baby’s life.

  She put her hand over his and nodded. Wrapped in his arms, she quietly drifted off to sleep.

  Jason laid awake waiting for her nightmare to begin. He would be here beside her to whisper in her ear, to draw her back from her troubled sleep.

  During this last week, he watched as she struggled with her affliction. Using hand gestures and facial expressions she made him realize what she wanted. She never became frustrated by his lack of understanding. Patient by nature, she displayed no hint of the fiery temper common to redheads. He snuggled her closer and closed his eyes.

  They woke early the next morning. He still held her close. The smile on Jade’s face was one of contentment. He realized she had slept through the night without waking or crying out in her sleep. He kissed her forehead, looked into her sleepy, green eyes, and drew her forward to kiss her soft lips. Her full bottom lip had been driving him crazy. Just one taste, he agonized. Just one gut-wrenching taste.

  His gaze held hers as he lowered his head. Mouth slightly open, long, dark lashes fanned her cheeks as her eyelids sheltered her green eyes. Eager to claim her mouth, his eyes drifted shut.

  “Uncle Jason. Uncle Jason.” Tyler burst through the door.

  Jason jerked back and rolled over onto his back to stare at the young intruder.

  “Emma’s awake.” Tyler jumped and leaped onto the bed. He landed in the middle of Jason’s stomach then bounced up and down. “Are you getting up? I want to show you my gun. Papa made it from a piece of wood.”

  “Ugh,” Jason gasped. “Why don’t you go play with Emma while Aunt Jade and I get up?” Jason lifted the boy off his stomach to set him on the floor. Grinning he swatted Tyler’s backside. “Hurry up now, we’ll be right there.” Tyler ran from the room with the same exuberance he entered.

  Jason gave Jade a rueful smile then sat on the edge of the bed with the blankets wrapped around him as he tugged on his trousers. Her face had turned a pretty shade of pink. He’d have to wait for a place where there were not so many interruptions to put his revised plan into action. The long cold winter nights were looking warming. Smiling with self-satisfaction, he finished dressing and left the room.

  Jade jumped out of bed to dress. They were going home. It had been exc
iting coming to town, seeing John and Margaret, but she was ready to leave. Home to her was with Jason and Emma. Last night had been an exercise of restraint on her part. Jason had been satisfied simply to hold her, seemingly unaware of the fire licking its way along her body everywhere he touched.

  Perhaps, it was time for renegotiations. Margaret’s nightgowns would be an excellent enticement.

  After breakfast, Jason and John loaded the supplies, along with those transparent nightgowns. With Emma sitting on her lap, Jason picked up the lines, clicked to the team, and drove out of town. He met several people he knew, nodded, but didn’t stop to talk.

  Jason saw the disconcerted expression on Jade’s face when they came near the place where he’d found her. He slipped an arm around her back and pulled her closer. She glanced up at him, smiled, burrowed deeper into his embrace, and relaxed. He nuzzled his face into her bright, red hair and inhaled the subtle fragrance of lavender that she used in her bath.

  The wagon rattled into the yard, and Cookie came from the cook-shack to take the team and unload the supplies. Jason took a sleeping Emma from Jade, and then helped her down from her lofty perch.

  She walked into the house in front of him. His gaze fastened on the gently sway of her hips. A tidal wave of longing rushed through him. It was time to put his plan of seduction into action. After all, they were married. The only thing keeping Jade out of his bed was his idea of a ‘marriage of convenience.’ If she agreed, changing the circumstances of their marriage would be no hardship for him.

  During supper, Jason mulled over several ideas of the best way to seduce his wife. Emma, fussy from the long tiring trip refused to eat. Jade finally washed the baby and rocked her to sleep. He cleaned the dishes and put them away.

  Several times, Jade peeked at him from under her long lashes and cast him, what he considered, seductive glances. Once she caught him looking at her mouth. Another time, she saw him staring boldly at her bosom. He quickly looked away.

  Curious, he wondered what she thought when she found him staring at her. He had sensed her watching him, earlier. She had been staring at a point just below his waistline. To his alarm, he felt the stirrings of an arousal. She averted her gaze, only to be drawn back to the same location a few moments later.

  “Emma is asleep for the night. I think I’ll go to bed.”

  Jason didn’t think he could stand any more tension tonight. He would take this time to strengthen his resolve, to play the knight-errant. Later he would claim her as his prize, after this jousting match with his lustful images had been hard won.

  CHAPTER 21

  Jade paused before her bedroom door and stared at the dark, wooden planks. A shudder rippled over her so strong it felt as if someone had grabbed her shoulders and gave her a violent shake. She stepped inside. This room held only terror within its four walls. The door closed, barring any escape. Another quiver raced up her spine.

  She knew once she lay down and closed her eyes, her spirit would soar away into an emptiness it had become harder to return from. Madness waited for her, beckoned her. It drew her closer, nearer the place where only darkness reigned: the same darkness that stalked her in her nightmares and haunted her during the day.

  Except last night, she reflected. She had fallen asleep sheltered in Jason’s arms, secure and safe. The horrors of her unknown past had not been able to overtake her while he held her. He was the light she clung to when shadows of the past smothered reality.

  She paced along the edge of the bed, turned, and walked the length of the end, then down the opposite side. She retraced her steps but could not bring herself to calmly lie down and surrender to the nightmare. How could she accept the darkness when she knew peace and comfort slept in the next room?

  Jason lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. He’d bide his time. Without a doctor to ask, it may not be safe to have sex during the last months of her pregnancy. Nevertheless, he could stoke the embers he felt burning between them each time they touched. Eventually, Jade would learn to trust him and the attraction they had for one another.

  He would wait until she fell asleep before he went to her room to soothe her during the night, but leave before she awoke. Last night, at Margaret’s, Jade had been uneasy with his presence in the same bed. Although, she relaxed once they began to talk, and she realized he wasn’t going to take advantage of the situation. His revised plan would be easier to achieve if she were comfortable with him.

  The door creaked open. Jason’s hand flew to his holstered gun hanging on the bedpost. Jade stood in the doorway. The question on her silent lips filled her expressive eyes. Her green eyes were full of apprehension. Did she think he’d send her away? Jason focused on her face, not allowing his gaze to stray to her tempting body.

  He folded the covers back in an unspoken invitation. Her bare feet padded across the wooden floor. She tiptoed into the chilled room, slid into bed beside him, and snuggled against him as she had the night before. Taking his hand between hers, she burrowed closer, and instantly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  He hoped the embers of desire did not become a full-fledged fire before morning. For the moment, he managed to bank the fire in his loins. But it would only take a small breath of air to fan the flames into a roaring inferno. He had never felt this way about a woman before, intense, yet calm, a fire burned inside him, yet it never consumed the lust he felt.

  Is this what John and Margaret had? What he always yearned for? This riding the waves of emotion, as wave after wave washed over you, sucking you under with the strong current of desire. Waiting until you were sure the other person felt the same way, before you committed yourself. Love or lust, whatever he wanted to call it, he had it bad. Real bad.

  He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head and breathed deeply of her womanly scent. He could hardly believe Jade had sought him out. When he saw her standing there, he first thought there was something wrong with Emma. Then he saw the look in her eyes and knew she had come to him out of fear of being alone. Rolling to his side, he gazed into her face. He would start with this and build a life together neither would have reason to regret.

  “I promise you Jade, I will make you happy,” he whispered. Tugging her to the full length of his body, they slept undisturbed.

  Morning came too soon for Jade. She felt warm and happy to be in Jason’s arms. He slept beside her, his dark hair tousled about his head, his handsome face relaxed. This was the first time she had been able to study him up close, without distractions. He really was a beautiful man, if one considered men beautiful.

  She longed to run her hand over his strong jaw, dark with whisker stubble that he would shave as soon as he rose. In the mornings, he didn’t like to leave his face unshaven for long. She fought the urge to trace a finger above his upper lip and across his chin. He’d look quite dashing with a mustache, or a goatee.

  Long, thick, lashes lay against his strong cheeks. When his sky blue eyes lit with laughter, they could draw a mutual smile from her. The hot penetrating gaze she sometimes saw in his eyes ignited an answering fire in her. She responded to him on every level.

  Even relaxed in sleep, corded muscles bulged in his arms and shoulders. His legs, what she could see of them in the dark at Margaret’s, rippled with the same sinew as his arms. His taunt stomach moved gently with each breath he took. Soft puffs of air escaped his lips and gently caressed her cheek. Eyes closed, she imagined his lips on hers, warm and soft, yet hard and insistent in his desire.

  Jason was strong in body, yet gentle in spirit. He and Margaret were close, and he respected her in a way most men would not honor a woman. The love he had for his sister demonstrated the love and care he would give his own family. Jade prayed he would let her be part of that family. She’d make sure he never regretted making her his wife.

  She eased from the bed and went to her room to dress. Breakfast would be on the table by the time he woke.

  Gone! Jason could feel the cold seep into the warm, empty place wher
e she had lain during the night. He had wanted to wake up beside her this morning, kiss, and hold her close. Allow her to get to know his man’s body slowly. To give her tender assurances that he would not demand and take, only gratefully accept what she willingly gave.

  Again, no nightmares had disturbed her sleep. He wanted her to trust him enough to keep his promise while he held her in his arms. A sense of self-confidence settled deep inside him.

  Today, he’d start his assault on her physical senses. Perhaps, by the time the baby came she would no longer want a ‘marriage of convenience’ no more than he did.

  His stomach growled at the scent of breakfast. He dressed and went into the kitchen. Emma happily played in her pen while Jade busied herself making breakfast. Jason walked up behind her. His hands caressed her shoulders as he kissed the side of her neck.

  “Good morning,” he whispered.

  Her quick indrawn breath betrayed how his kiss affected her. And, the telltale goose bumps on her arms further proved her response. Stepping back, he poured a cup of coffee, took a sip, and then sat it down at his place at the table as if nothing unusual had taken place.

  Holding out his arms, Emma’s chubby fingers grasped his hands, and he picked her up.

  “How’s daddy’s little girl this morning?” Jason smiled.

  He placed her in her chair for breakfast. Metal clattered as Jade nervously fumbled with the hot pans. Mmm…. His kisses must have really jolted her. Her reaction was all he had hoped.

  “Here, let me do that for you.”

  Taking the hot holders from her shaky hands, he placed the hot biscuits on the table. He brushed his body against hers when he turned to pick up the platter of ham and the bowl of scrambled eggs. He watched a shudder ripple over her. Yeah, his nearness affected her the same way hers did him. Jason gave an inner chuckle, sat down, and ate his breakfast a happy man.

  Jade gathered the dishes from the table. Whistling, Jason left the house. She still puzzled over his behavior when he returned later that evening in the same happy mood. He gave her a devastating grin, dropped a kiss on top of her head, and swung Emma up into his arms. Jade wondered how he spent his day. Surely being with cattle and ranch hands all day wouldn’t make a man so cheerful. She didn’t delude herself into thinking he enjoyed the night they slept together. After all, he hadn’t claimed his husbandly rights.