“What I want,” Liam ground out through clenched teeth as he removed his arm from her grasp, “is for you to leave me alone. Now go before I lose patience entirely and give you the spanking you deserve.”
Natasha heaved a regretful sigh. “Alright, I’ll go. But just remember what I said. When you get tired of Selena’s rejections, I’ll be waiting.” She turned and strolled back toward her camp with an exaggerated swing to her hips, throwing one more seductive glance over her shoulder.
Liam blew his breath out as he stood watching her in amazement. He couldn’t believe the nerve of the woman. He knew Natasha had been gently reared in a respectable family, yet she behaved like a common harlot. Many of the prostitutes he had bedded hadn’t been as brazen as she was. He had no doubt that if he were to give her the slightest encouragement Natasha would be more than willing to share his bed.
Liam couldn’t help but compare her behavior with Selena’s. Out of necessity, Selena had been forced to work in a saloon for a sleazy boss, yet she had managed to keep her honor. He remembered the first night he had met her. She had steadfastly rebuffed a number of advances, and all with dignity and grace. He couldn’t picture Selena throwing herself at any man, much less one who was married to someone else.
Thoughts about Selena cleansed the last of his anger from Liam’s mind. Hopefully, Natasha would soon grow bored with her infatuation. He didn’t want her to cause any more trouble between him and Selena. While he was reluctant to cause any pain or embarrassment to Gerald or Marcia, if he had to, he would tell them about Natasha’s behavior. He could only hope they would believe him, if it ever came to that.
Over the next several days, Selena gradually regained her strength, but Liam continued to hover, his worry evident in his fascinating hazel eyes. When Selena complained about it to Marcia, the older woman laughed.
“Selena, just enjoy it. It’s rare enough when our men get to pamper us. Remember what I told you? Liam needs to know that you need him.”
“Yes, but I’m worried about him. He looks so tired and haggard. I know he’s not getting enough rest,” Selena mumbled dejectedly.
Marcia’s eyes sparkled with humor. “He’s a big, strong man. He’ll survive. Besides,” she said with a wink, “when you get better, you can make it up to him.”
Her meaning didn’t escape Selena, and her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink as she grinned in response. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
The gash on Selena’s temple healed nicely, and after a week, Marcia was able to remove the stitches. As she examined her handiwork, she smiled. “There’s hardly going to be any scar at all. Most of it will be covered up in your hairline.”
Although Selena was not a vain woman, she was relieved that she wouldn’t be left with an ugly scar to mar her face. “Thank you, Marcia.”
“How about your headaches? Are they getting better?” Marcia asked.
“Yes. It only hurts now if I make a sudden move. As long as I take things slowly, I don’t notice it much.”
“Good. A few more days, and you should be good as new.”
While Selena continued to improve, Liam worried and brooded. He lay awake for long periods at night, just listening to her steady breathing beside him. They had done away with separate pallets, and while he enjoyed the feel of her soft body beside him, it wasn’t lust that kept him awake.
Liam was disturbed by how close he had come to losing her. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had no control over his destiny. His heart was so deeply entangled with Selena that if anything happened to her, he knew his life would be good for nothing. His days as a carefree bachelor were a distant memory, and he chafed under the realization that he needed Selena desperately. He had never worried much about the fragility of life, but it was now foremost in his mind.
By the time another week had passed, Selena was becoming annoyed. Liam refused to let her resume her activities, even though she felt more than able. Again, she confided in Marcia, as the other woman sat with her one evening.
“He won’t let me do anything. Every time I stand up, he comes rushing over to help me. He refuses to let me cook or clean up. I’m at my wit’s end.”
Selena frowned as she watched Liam. He was nearby but out of earshot. Still, she noticed that his gaze kept returning to her, as if to reassure himself that she was alright.
Marcia merely chuckled. “It has been rather funny watching him these last few days. Gerald and I were laughing about it yesterday. Gerald said Liam is worse than a mother bear guarding her cubs.”
Selena had to smile at the thought. “Yes, but that’s just it. He’s treating me like a child instead of his wife.”
Marcia laid a hand on her arm and her smile held a world of wisdom. “Then, I guess it’s up to you to remind him that you’re a woman and not a child.”
Selena pondered those words of advice as she watched Liam cleaning the dishes from dinner, and she hid a smile. Little did he know that she was about to unleash all her feminine wiles on him, and she was determined that this time, they would finish what they had started.
When Liam was finished, Selena rose and placed a hand on his arm. “I thought we would make an early night of it,” she murmured, her voice husky and soft.
“You must be tired,” he frowned. He encircled her with his arms, holding her against him.
Selena ran a hand over his chest, slipping her hand inside his shirt to run her fingers through the light furring of hair. “Will you take me to bed?”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Liam lifted her and carried her to the tent, but he made no move to kiss her. Indeed, it seemed as if the thought didn’t even cross his mind as he gently laid her on the blanket.
“Let me get your nightgown,” he murmured and hurried to the wagon.
Once outside the tent, Liam gulped huge breaths of cool air, hoping it would help to cool his lust. He was certain his wife was the most desirable woman alive.
Meanwhile, Selena was getting increasingly frustrated. Liam had helped her dress many times over the past two weeks, and he had never even tried to sneak a caress. She was keenly aware of the attraction she felt whenever he was near, and she wanted to once again experience the feelings he had awakened in her body. She was anxious to learn more, for she knew there must be some way to appease her yearnings, if only she could rekindle his interest.
Liam returned with her nightgown and sat beside her on the blanket. Selena had already unbuttoned her dress, and she tugged the sleeves off her arms. She pretended to have some difficulty getting the dress out from under her hips. Tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth, she looked up at Liam.
“Could you help me?”
“Certainly.”
He put an arm around her waist to lift her, and he deftly slipped the dress over her hips, trying his best to ignore the soft flesh beneath his palms. Selena wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him, letting her breasts flatten against his chest. She toyed with the hair at his nape as she wriggled her bottom to free the dress. Liam showed no reaction as he turned away to fold her dress neatly and lay it aside. Selena suppressed a frustrated sigh and tugged at the ribbon that closed the neckline of her chemise. She purposefully pulled the ribbon into a knot.
“Oh, no. Can you get this undone?” she begged.
Selena noticed that Liam’s fingers were warm and much too steady as they brushed against her breasts. In no time, he had the knot freed, and was working on the tiny buttons. Still, she didn’t see the tiniest shred of desire on his face when he peeled the two halves apart, baring her breasts. Instead, he slipped the nightgown over her head with businesslike efficiency.
“There,” he said, untying her pantalets and slipping them off her hips with barely a glance at her naked form.
Liam quickly buttoned her nightgown, desperate to cover up her enticing breasts before he lost all control. When the gown was buttoned, he pressed her down on the pallet and tucked her in like a child with a kis
s on the forehead.
“Go to sleep,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be in after I finish a few more things.” He quickly turned his back, careful to make sure she wouldn’t see the bulge in his breeches.
Selena watched him leave, and her frustration reached new heights. She longed for Liam to make love to her, but she lacked the knowledge or experience to know how to seduce him. Although she did her best to stay awake, she was asleep long before he joined her on the pallet.
The next day, Selena started her monthly, and she let out an impatient groan. She would have to wait a few more days, and she resigned herself to the fact. By the time her courses had stopped, nearly three weeks had passed since the accident. Still, Liam made no move to kiss her or touch her, and Selena racked her brain for a way to entice him.
In the wee hours of the night, Liam struggled with a familiar nightmare. He could see Selena sinking beneath the surface of the muddy water, and she was crying out for him to help her. He struggled and kicked, but he couldn’t quite reach her. As her head disappeared, he let out a choked sob.
“No! Selena, don’t leave me.”
But unlike the previous times when he had had the same dream, Selena was suddenly there, rising from the water. She soothed his fears with a warm kiss on his brow and she gently caressed his face. He was able to breathe again, when she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest.
“Shh, my love. I’m here.” Her soft voice soothed his spirit.
Liam released a deep sigh, as he wrapped his arms around her. She reached up to kiss him, and his breath caught in his throat once more, this time from desire. Her lips were warm and moist, luscious and inviting, and they teased him as she nibbled at his mouth. She trailed hot, open mouthed kisses along his jaw and neck, and Liam came awake with a jolt when her hand skimmed over his belly to tentatively stroke his manhood. This was no dream! It was Selena warm and willing in his arms, and the hammering beat of his heart matched the throbbing in his loins.
Liam started to rise, but Selena pressed firmly down against his shoulders. He frowned up at her, his eyes searching hers in the predawn light.
“Selena, what are you doing?” he asked with a worried frown.
She gave him a throaty laugh and sat up on her knees beside him. As she quickly unbuttoned her nightgown, her eyes were glowing.
“I’m making love to you, husband. Since you seem reluctant to seduce me, I’ve decided to take the initiative.”
Selena whisked the garment over her head and tossed it aside. Liam gave a strangled groan as he took in her appearance. Her breasts were full with proudly erect pink nipples, absolutely mouth watering in their perfection. Some of her dark hair had escaped her braid to curl around her face and neck. She had never looked more beautiful or desirable, and Liam ached to have her. Still, he held back.
“Selena, you’re not fully recovered. We shouldn’t . . .”
She placed a finger over his lips. “We should, and we will. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me, Liam, and I want you.” Her voice was soft but determined.
Selena stretched out within the crook of his arm, and she pressed her body full length against his. The effect of her luscious curves against his naked chest shattered the last of his resistance, and Liam gave a small groan of capitulation as he pulled her down for a kiss. She was only too happy to comply, and she willingly yielded her mouth. He devoured her lips, and Selena gloried in the fact that he desired her. Liam continued to kiss her as he fumbled with her braid. When it loosened, he raked his fingers through her long hair, savoring the softness of the glossy strands.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I met you,” he murmured, nibbling along her neck as her silken tresses fell all around him like a shimmering black curtain. “I love your hair when it’s loose.”
“Then I’ll wear it loose when we go to bed from now on,” she whispered.
He lifted her on top of him, and his hands skimmed over her sides and down to fondle her buttocks as he once again claimed her mouth. Heat welled between them, and his hands became almost frantic, cruising over her skin as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her. He moaned softly into her mouth as he kneaded her breasts, and Selena broke off from the kiss to rise above him. Her breasts hung like ripe fruit before him, and he didn’t waste the opportunity to taste them. While his fingers explored one, he suckled the other one into the scalding heat of his mouth. He nipped and tugged at her nipple, intensifying the ache in her belly with every hot flick of his tongue until she moaned weakly.
A savage hunger flowed through Liam, and he quickly rolled to pin her beneath him as he moved to her other breast. He feasted on her sensitized nipple, and her sighs and moans of pleasure urged him on. She arched her back and clasped his head to her breast, as her own neediness made her writhe beneath him.
Finally, Liam raised his head to look down at her. His eyes raked over her breasts, rosy and firm from his attentions, and primal satisfaction flared in the hazel depths of his eyes as he snared her gaze. Their eyes remained locked as his fingers cruised up her inner thighs and found their way unerringly into the thatch of hair where her legs joined. She sighed against his mouth as she opened her thighs to welcome his touch. His long fingers were gentle and warm, and they explored her with increasingly intimate caresses until she was slick and throbbing.
Liam slid one long finger inside her, and Selena gasped. He took his time, probing her with hypnotic repetition as he coaxed her to flower for him, and when he slipped a second finger in beside the first, Selena rewarded him with a strangled moan of pleasure. She arched against his hand, inviting even greater liberties.
When he couldn’t stand it any longer, Liam knelt between her thighs and guided himself to her entrance. He kissed her with ravenous hunger as he plunged into her with one mighty stroke. His shock couldn’t have been any greater when he felt her muscles lock beneath him, and he caught her scream in his mouth. He had felt the brief resistance of her maidenhead, and he knew with certainty what had just happened, but his mind was having trouble making the logical conclusions when he was buried to the hilt inside her and throbbing with need.
“What the hell?” he gasped, rising up on his elbows to gape at her. Tears were trickling down her cheeks, and her eyes were filled with pained surprise. “You’re a virgin?”
Selena gave a small nod, afraid to move. The rending pain inside her was gradually fading to a dull, warm ache. She was keenly aware of every heavy, solid inch of his fullness buried deeply within her.
“Well, I was,” she gasped, giving him a trembling smile.
Liam remained perfectly still as he gazed at her in astonishment. “But I thought your stepfather raped you?”
Selena closed her eyes, realizing that he had misunderstood, and she shook her head. Opening her eyes, she looked at him once more.
“He tried to, but my mother stopped him before he could finish the deed.”
Liam stroked her face tenderly, tucking a stray curl behind one ear. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know or I would have been gentle with you. I should have taken things more slowly.”
He wasn’t sure what to do. He was afraid to withdraw, thinking it might cause her even more pain. Instead, he bent to kiss her, and this time, his lips were as light as thistledown on hers.
“I promise it won’t hurt any more. Trust me.”
“I do,” she sighed. Her eyes conveyed her faith as she gave him a watery smile.
He groaned and kissed her again, using his lips to rekindle her desire until he felt her relax beneath him. He’d never made love to a virgin before, so he was working purely on instinct. He sensed that unless he gave her time to adjust, he would ruin it for her. He battled his own body’s urgency as he took his time, stroking her hips with strong fingers and trailing hot kisses down her neck and along her shoulders. Holding himself rigidly immobile inside her, he worshipped her breasts, laving their sensitive tips with his hot tongue as she moaned softly beneath him.
/>
When Liam felt her thighs relax once more, he began to move cautiously within her. He drew back to gauge her reaction as his strokes began slowly and gradually grew stronger and deeper. He felt a profound sense of satisfaction as he watched Selena’s expression change from tense apprehension to glorious wonder. He closed his eyes, reveling in the slick, velvety heat of her as she answered his strokes with growing enthusiasm.
“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he whispered near her ear.
She eagerly complied, and he sank even deeper into her scalding sheath. He returned his attention to her breasts, lavishing them with kisses and using his whiskers to gently abrade their sensitive peaks. Selena felt the tension in her belly winding tighter and tighter until she couldn’t stand it. All at once, she buried her face against Liam’s neck and raked her nails along his back, managing to stifle her scream.
For several moments, she floated, feeling weightless and boneless, and when she finally opened her eyes, she saw Liam watching her intently. He gave her a rakish grin full of masculine pride that he had managed to bring her pleasure even though it was her first time. He bent to kiss her, savoring the feel of her breasts against his chest as he began to move once more.
Realizing that Liam had delayed his own release, Selena began to answer his strokes, eager to appease his lust. Their coupling became almost frantic, as each of them struggled to get that last bit closer to the other. Ecstasy burst upon them in unison, and with one final stroke, they flung themselves over the brink, clinging to each other as they drifted into the void.
It seemed like a long time later before Liam roused enough to withdraw from her and roll onto his back. He drew her once more into the crook of his arm, and Selena sighed as she felt his heartbeat beneath her palm. He nuzzled her hair, breathing in her heady fragrance, and for the first time in weeks, he was completely relaxed. The novelty of having brought her sexual pleasure for the first time gave him great satisfaction. Knowing that he was the first man . . . the only man who would ever make love with Selena filled him with possessive pride.
Trailing Home: Liam's Bride (The McKenzie Series #3) Page 18