“Probably, because I took my mother’s jewelry when I left, and he had intentions of marrying me off into a nearby clan so that the McKinley clan would be stronger,” Shannon admitted. She had started to tell him about the little bit of money she inherited, but that would bring up even more questions she didn’t want to answer.”
“You’re a thief?” He asked in an accusing voice. After all, she was taking care of his children, damn it. He had a right to know about her life.
“Nay. My mother gave me her jewels. She knew I’d need them. So they were mine, but my da dinna see it that way. Ye see, my da killed my mother,” Shannon said softly.
Luke listened as she told him about her childhood. Every once in awhile she’d hiccup, which told him the good sisters had given her some hard liquor, no wonder she was swaying. As he listened, he found he wanted to do bodily harm to her so-called father. How any man could treat a woman like that was beyond him.
He glanced at Shannon. Her face was bathed in the soft light of the lantern. Shannon was in his blood. The realization struck him so fast that he felt like he’d been slugged. He’d become emotionally involved with Shannon when he’d never planned to keep her in his life.
“Look. There’s the ranch up ahead,” Luke said. It was late and he was glad to see the lights. He felt like a sitting duck on this buckboard, and his mind was starting to drift in dangerous directions where Shannon was concerned. “I’m glad you left under those circumstances, and it was nice of your uncle to take you in for a short while. Do you suppose your father will send someone else for you?”
“Nay, the mon must be running out of money. But then desperate men do desperate things, so ‘tis possible he sent a couple of men,” she added.
Luke pulled the wagon to a halt. A couple of ranch hands came running out, but not Wilson, which Luke thought was strange. Maybe his foreman was busy elsewhere. Luke issued orders for everything to be unloaded before he escorted a swaying Shannon into the house.
“Señor Luke,” called Maria in a nervous sort of way. “Señor Travis and Wilson took the children to Señor George. Señor Travis said to tell you they would be back in two days,” she told him as she wrung her hands. “I told him he needed to wait for you, but he said you wouldn’t mind.”
Shannon was leaning against Luke, and he knew she wouldn’t last much longer on her feet. The problem was every time she moved; her breast rubbed against him, producing a delicious heat he couldn’t do a damn thing about.
He took a deep breath. What in the Sam Hill was his brother thinking? Running off to their brother George’s house without asking first. Travis was too damn carefree for his own good. However there was no need taking out his displeasure on Maria. “It’s all right, Maria. I’ll deal with Travis when he returns.”
“What happen to Señorita Shannon?”
“Hello, Maria,” Shannon said, her words slurred.
“She’s had a slight accident and received a nasty bump on her head,” Luke explained as he tightened his grip on Shannon. It’s late. Why don’t you go on to bed. I’ll see Miss Shannon to her room.”
Maria nodded. “Sí, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. It’s been a long day for all of us.”
Once Maria had left, Luke helped Shannon down the hall. She seemed to be leaning on him more and more. He nudged her again. “Are you awake?”
“Aye. Just a wee bit sleepy. How about ye?”
“I’m a little tired myself.”
Luke shoved open the door to Shannon’s room. Someone had already lit a lamp. Her bed was covered in clothes and shoes. “This is where you sleep?”
“I was in a bit o’ a hurry this mornin’.” She waved her hand toward the bed. “’Tis a bit messy. Did Maria say the children are gone?”
“She did. Travis took them to my older brothers.”
“Ye never said anythin’ about a brother living out here.”
“I don’t see much of him,” Luke said. He was going to have Shannon stand while he cleaned off the bed, but the minute he let her go she swayed.
“This isn’t going to work. Come on,” he turned her around. “You can sleep in my bed and then I’ll come back and clean yours off.”
“I like yer bed,” Shannon murmured. “’Tis softer than mine.”
Those few words sent heat roaring through Luke much like a wildfire consuming the prairie. He wanted this woman, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Her smile warmed his heart even if he didn’t want it to.
They made their way down the hall and into his wing. He bumped the door with his shoulder then leaned down and swung Shannon up into his arms and carried her over to the big bed where he deposited her.
However . . . she didn’t remove her arms and Luke knew he was in real trouble now.
“Ye do that verra well,” Shannon murmured.
He ran a forefinger over her smooth cheek. “So I’ve been told.”
His face was so close, and she wanted him so badly, so why not kiss him. She was afraid and intrigued at the same time. She didn’t want her heart broken. She had seen how badly her cousin Jocelyn had been hurt. But on the other hand, why not satisfy the longing she had deep within her? The cowboy she had always wanted. Wasn’t Luke what she’d longed for? She felt passion racing through her, clouding her brain. “Kiss me,” she whispered.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Luke told her.
“I know exactly what I’m saying and exactly what I want,” said Shannon feeling much more alert than she had a moment ago. She was dismayed at the magnitude of her desire. She pulled his head down to hers.
It was the only encouragement Luke needed.
A groan of surrender sounded just before his warm lips brushed back and forth across her ear. Shannon realized that he was giving her a chance to back away, but she didn’t want to. He whispered in her ear, “Are you sure?”
Shannon’s heart fluttered as she nodded. His tongue traced each curve of her ear, giving her delicious shivers and his warm breath was producing a desire so strong that she was only aware of Luke . . . his strength. . . his body.
She moved beneath him, causing him to make a deep sound of male pleasure. His hot lips found hers and in that moment Shannon knew she’d found heaven. Desire flooded her body with warmth she’d never experienced as she drank in the sweetness of his kiss.
Luke pulled back slightly and unfastened the buttons on her blouse, then pushed it open. “Beautiful,” he murmured as he stared down at her so intently that Shannon’s skin burned. His hand moved over her breast, but that didn’t seem to satisfy him. He grabbed her chemise at the neck and tore the thin material exposing both her breasts.
She gasped as the cool air hit her bare skin.
He caressed her nipples until they tightened, and then his mouth replaced where his fingers had been. He was so tender that she cried out as she felt the flaming touch of his swirling tongue. Desire was an emotion she’d never truly experienced but now that she had, she wanted more. She wanted to say something but no words came to her. She pressed against him, a small moan slipped passed her lips.
Luke raised up on his arms and looked at her with such passion that her heart gave a small jump. She wanted him to feel the same pleasure that she was feeling. She fumbled with the buttons on Luke’s shirt until she finally got it opened. Rubbing her hands across his chest, she marveled at the ripples of his hard muscles and the thicket of dark hair. She rubbed his hard nipples and felt him jerk when she touched him. Shannon liked the thought that she could make him desire her.
Her hands slid into Luke’s hair and pulled him back to her breast. His tongue tantalized her nipples, which were swollen to their fullest. She felt moisture between her legs and knew there was something more.
Luke slipped from the bed. She looked longingly at him as he disposed of the rest of his clothing, leaving her a full view of a well-muscled body. Then he was back on the bed and with a flick of his hand he’d removed her remaining clothing, expos
ing all of her to him.
“I want you so damn bad,” Luke admitted, an admission Shannon sensed he had struggled with. “I shouldn’t, but I do.”
Again Shannon couldn’t talk. All she could do was hold her arms up to him. He joined her and immediately she felt the heat of his body and a hardness between her legs that made her gasp.
He traced a line between her lips with his tongue. The moment she yielded, his tongue plunged into her mouth, stroking and caressing, communicating with unspoken words. Her senses skidded out of control.
God, how he wanted her. Luke knew he should stop, but when Shannon touched his bare skin, he growled and delved into the warmth of her mouth. His tongue mating with hers as he tasted the sweetness she offered. The degree to which she responded stunned him.
He drew back a little. He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted Shannon. Staring into her liquid green eyes, dark with desire, he knew he’d never let this woman leave him. It was an awakening experience that left him reeling.
His fingers slid into the soft curls covering the most sensitive part of her and stroked, watching the surprise on her face. Was she as innocent as she seemed?
She moaned his name, and he realized he needed her now. He settled himself between her legs, lifted her hips and plunged inside, finding out only too late that Shannon was very innocent. Her fingernails dug into him as she cried out in pain.
“I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you,” Luke rasped, a lump formed in his throat. “You should have told me.”
“Told ye what?”
“That you were a virgin,” Luke said as he tried not to move. Lie still. The pain will ease in a moment.”
“I dinna know it would hurt,” she whimpered.
“Do you want me to stop?” Luke prayed she didn’t.
“Is that all there is?”
Luke couldn’t help chuckling. “No, my love. Let me show you,” he whispered. Then he started to move again very slowly.
Shannon wasn’t too sure about this new experience. Her body was still tense from the pain. No one had ever mentioned pain. This was supposed to be a wonderful experience, but she wasn’t too keen on the idea at the moment.
“Take a deep breath and relax,” Luke murmured.
Easy for him to say, Shannon thought. But she did as he instructed and to her surprise the pain wasn’t as bad. It was replaced with something else . . . a new feeling. She could only describe it as an itch that needed to be scratched. She wanted something more.
As Luke moved, she began to feel a pressure building inside her, becoming so intense that she tightened her arms around Luke and whispered, “Please.” So unsure of what she wanted, but she knew she wanted it now.
Finally a thousand stars exploded from within her and she knew complete contentment as she whispered, “I love you.”
Chapter 11
The next morning Luke awoke to a soft body curled against him and a feeling of wonderful contentment coursing through his veins, something he’d not experienced in a long, long time. He wondered about this odd feeling until the events from last night flooded his mind.
And then the guilt settled in.
It was true he desired Shannon – a fact he could no longer deny. However, he was bewildered by his own behavior. What had caused him to act so irrationally when he’d never done so in the past?
Hell, that was a stupid question – it was lust plain and simple – wasn’t it? It had to be lust and that wasn’t a reason to betray Ruth.
But Ruth was dead.
True, he thought, but he’d loved her dearly. Her death had devastated him. She’d still be alive if he hadn’t dragged her to Texas. She had been perfectly happy in St. Louis, but he hadn’t. Originally, his family had come from St. Louis. However, once his mother had died, his father and brothers had moved to Texas, and he’d left Ruth behind He’d never been a city boy. Ruth knew that small fact since they had grown up together.
Luke had found out that he had a wild streak running through him. For two years he’d fought gunfighters not caring if he lived or died. Then a letter from Ruth saying she wasn’t going to wait for him any longer woke Luke up so he bought the ranch and went back to St. Louis for Ruth.
Ruth was hesitant at first to move to Texas, but she’d loved him and finally said yes as long as he built her a fine house. Those memories were so long ago they were beginning to fade.
Ruth should be the one lying next to him, then his children wouldn’t be without a mother. Would he ever stop feeling guilty?
He had his doubts. Life didn’t always turn out the way you planned, and he was now realizing that, instead of moving on, he’d retreated into himself. He didn’t much like it, but was unsure how to handle the problem.
Luke glanced down at Shannon whose head lay on his arm as she snuggled next to him. He couldn’t deny it felt good to hold her, nor could he deny he’d enjoyed making love to her. She was kind of -- how should he put it -- like an old shoe . . . comfortable once you slip it on.
But Shannon had been a virgin. She should have been saving herself for her husband. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Why hadn’t she tried to stop him? Had she been hoping to catch herself a husband? Namely him? As the ugly thought crawled into his head, he frowned. Could Shannon be that calculating? He wouldn’t like to think so, but what did he really know about her?
She had opened up a little on their ride home. He’d thought she’d held something back when he’d first met her and he’d been right. It didn’t sound as if her childhood had been pleasant. He also remembered the rage he’d felt toward her father if, indeed, you could call him a father. Did that mean he was starting to care for Shannon?
His head was splitting with so many questions and no answers. However, the biggest question was -- what was he going to do? Luke glanced back down and found that the object of his thoughts had awakened and was gazing up at him. Feelings he considered long dead roared to life, and he struggled to hold himself back. How he’d love to make love to her all over again.
“Good Morning,” Shannon said sleepily.
Even though Luke really wanted to kiss her, he wanted the answers to his burning questions more. “Why didn’t you stop me last night?” he rasped, realizing he could have been a little more tactful with his question.
Shannon glanced up at him, a puzzled look in her eyes. If she was acting, she was doing a damn good job. Luke thought.
“Was I supposed tae?”
Luke frowned. He pulled away from her and sat up on the side of the bed. “What kind of question is that?” Bending over he snatched his pants off the floor, then jammed his legs into his britches. He was furious with himself. He wasn’t someone to lose control. He liked everything running smoothly. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Of course you were. You were a virgin, for Christ sake. You should have been saving yourself for your husband.”
Shannon sat up, clasping the cover up to her chin. What the devil had gotten into Luke this morning? He didn’t seem to have a problem last night. “Evidently, I dinna bother tae read the rules.”
“I’d hate for men to think of you as loose,” he said as he snatched his shirt off the floor. “I guess I should marry you.”
Shannon felt as if she’d been doused with a bucket of ice water. “How nice of ye tae come tae my rescue! But I dinna believe I’ve asked for yer help,” she retorted indignantly. “I’ll only marry for love nothing less.”
“Many marry for convenience.”
Having heard quite enough from the lousy lout, Shannon slid out of bed clutching the covers to her. He’d taken something she’d thought was beautiful and made it feel dirty. She flung the sheet over her shoulder and marched over to stand in front of the insufferable fool.
“Ye get this straight, Luke Griffin. I’m not many, ye ken? And I’ll not huv yer pity.” Shannon’s spine stiffened. “As a matter of fact, I canna think o' one thing that I want from ye at this very moment.”
“I don’t know what
you're getting so upset about,” Luke roared. “I’m offering you a solution to your problem.”
She stiffened. “’Tis mighty noble of ye, but I dinna think there was a problem. Evidently, I’ve made a mistake, but it’s my problem. Now, get out of my way.”
She swept by Luke, snatched up her discarded clothes, then hurried to her room before she did anything else that couldn’t be undone. She was thankful the children were not at home as she ran through the house to the safety of her room. She needed time to think about what she’d done without distractions.
From the moment she’d first seen Luke, some invisible thread had linked them together – she’d felt it right away. He needed her and she needed him. Yet, when he’d offered marriage –- something she wanted -– Shannon realized she wanted more.
She wanted love.
Could Luke love her? Or did he merely feel lust for her? She sensed he’d felt something last night or maybe it wasn’t anything more than lust. She really wished that Brooke was here so she could talk to her and have her questions answered. Shannon sighed. Perhaps, he’d simply forgotten how to love having mourned his wife for so long.
Shannon’s head hurt, not to mention the rest of her body. Hoping to ease the ache, she grabbed some clean clothes from her wardrobe and stormed out to take a bath in the children’s bathroom.
She paced as the maids filled the tub with hot steaming water. Finally, she was alone. She couldn’t help moaning with pleasure as she lowered her body into the warm water. She spotted a smear of blood on her thigh, a small reminder of what she'd done. It took awhile, but finally the tension eased out of her as if someone had pulled a plug.
Of course, her head wasn’t going to quit hurting as long as Luke was on her mind, but at least she’d gotten some relief elsewhere. Shannon thought about last night and how bold she’d been. No wonder Luke hadn’t considered she might be a virgin.
He had made her feel wonderful and so content that she hadn’t considered the consequences. However, Luke’s regrets this morning had robbed her of any joy she’d felt. If she were smart, she’d pack her bags and leave right now. It would serve him right. But would he care if she left?
Western Seduction (The Seduction Series Book 2) Page 12