He extended his arm to Tricia. “You look beautiful, grandbaby girl.”
Resting her head on his shoulder, Tricia smiled. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Gus covered the gloved hand on his jacket sleeve. “The car is waiting for us.” He led her out of Jeremy’s house that would soon become Jeremy and Tricia’s home to the chauffeur-driven limousine parked in the driveway. The driver assisted Tricia, Gus and then Kelly into the car.
Tricia forced herself not to chew her lower lip and eat away the lipstick the cosmetologist had applied earlier. She closed her eyes and took in deep breaths in an attempt to slow down her runaway pulse. All too soon the ride ended. She opened her eyes and under the tent were rows of chairs occupied by full-time, part-time and resident employees of Blackstone Farms and several neighboring horse farms. At the opposite end of a white carpet littered with white and blue flower petals Jeremy waited with Judge Campbell, Ryan and Sean.
The driver opened the rear door, extending his hand to Kelly. Gus followed and held out his hand to Tricia. She placed hers trustingly in his, smiling.
“Are you ready, Grandpa?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready, grandbaby?”
She inhaled, then let out her breath slowly. “Yes.”
All heads turned to stare at Tricia and Gus when a keyboard player began to play the familiar chords of the wedding march. Kelly led the procession over the carpet, and less than a minute later Gus escorted Tricia over the flower-strewn path to where Jeremy stood, a stunned expression freezing his handsome features.
* * *
Jeremy did not want to believe that Tricia could look so innocent and wanton at the same time. The lace skimming her curvy body made her appear ethereal in the streams of diffused sunlight coming into the large tent.
Don’t lose it, he told himself over and over as she drew closer. He, who had lost count of the number of times he’d been in situations where his life hung in the balance, was unnerved by the image of a woman he’d loved for so long that he could not remember when he did not love her.
She was now close enough for him to detect the dewy sheen on her flawless face, the scent of the flowers in her bouquet and the soft sensual smell of her perfume.
The judge squared his shoulders under his black robe. “Who gives this woman in marriage?”
“I do.” Gus’s voice carried easily in the warm air. He took Tricia’s hand and placed it in Jeremy’s. “Be happy,” he whispered before he stepped back and sat down in the chair that had been left vacant for him. He looked across the aisle at Sheldon and smiled.
Sheldon nodded and mouthed, “Boo-yaw!”
Grinning, Gus pumped his fist in the air. He and Sheldon had begun their association as employer and employee, but since his retirement Gus counted Sheldon as a friend and now, with his granddaughter’s marriage to Jeremy, family.
“We are gathered together in the sight of God and man to reunite two families in matrimony.” Judge Campbell’s sonorous voice captured everyone’s attention.
Tricia barely registered the judge’s words as she stared up into the sooty eyes staring down at her. Jeremy was incredibly handsome in a charcoal-gray pinstriped suit, white shirt and robin’s-egg-blue silk tie. His close-cropped raven hair lay neatly on his well-shaped head.
When it came time to exchange vows and rings, she smiled at Sean who stood ramrod straight holding a white pillow with the wedding bands secured with silk ribbon. She handed her bouquet and gloves to Kelly before Jeremy repeated his vows and slipped a band on her hand. Her voice was steady but her hands were shaking when she repeated the gesture.
She heard the judge telling Jeremy he could kiss his bride, and she knew then it was over. Her wish had been granted. She’d waited fourteen years to become Tricia Blackstone.
Her smile was dazzling as she and Jeremy followed Sean, Ryan and Kelly down the carpet to receive the best wishes of those who had come to witness the joining of another generation of Virginia Blackstones.
* * *
Tricia curved her arm around her husband’s waist inside his suit jacket to steady him. “Careful, hotshot,” she teased softly. “Cut another step like that and you’ll be on your face.”
Jeremy swung her around. “What I want to do is cut out of here.”
They had planned to leave right after cutting the cake, but Sheldon offered a toast, a toast that was echoed individually by every farm employee. Teenagers and the young children who now knew that Tricia would become their school nurse offered their own reticent toasts.
“Do you think it’s safe to leave now?”
Jeremy glanced over Tricia’s head. He met his father’s gaze and smiled. He released his wife’s hand long enough to pantomime a wave. Sheldon nodded and returned the wave.
“Let’s go,” Jeremy whispered, leading her out of the tent. They skirted several couples and managed to make it to an area where he had parked his SUV. Their luggage had been loaded in the cargo area earlier that morning.
“How’s the ankle holding up?” she asked once Jeremy removed his jacket and sat behind the wheel.
He gave her a quick glance. “It’s okay.”
“Do you want me to drive?”
“No. I can make it. Sit back and relax, Mrs. Blackstone. I don’t want you to plead a headache or fatigue later.”
Tricia folded a hand on her hip. “Have you ever known me to plead a headache, Mr. Blackstone?”
Jeremy turned the key in the ignition and shifted into gear. “Nope,” he said after a lengthy silence.
Tricia did as Jeremy suggested and closed her eyes. She hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep until he shook her gently. “Wake up, sweetheart. We’re here.”
The house in the mountains was larger than she had expected. Rising two stories in height, it looked more like a chalet than a rustic cabin. It was surrounded by towering pine trees growing so close together that she doubted whether light reached the earth even during the daylight hours.
Jeremy touched her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
Tricia watched as Jeremy made his way to the front door. He hadn’t used his cane, and his gait was off. He was scheduled to begin intensive physical therapy the following week, and she hoped the exercise would strengthen his ankle so he would not be left with a limp.
Within minutes golden light blazed from every window so like the many jack-o’-lanterns on display at Blackstone Farms during its annual Halloween celebration.
Jeremy returned, unloaded their luggage and minutes later Tricia found herself in the middle of a large bedroom with an adjoining bath that resembled a European spa with a massive sunken tub with enough room for four people, a free-standing shower and a steam room.
She shivered slightly as warm breath feathered over her nape. Smiling, she said, “So this is where the Wild Bunch rough it.”
Curving his arms around Tricia’s waist, Jeremy lowered his head and trailed kisses along the column of her long neck. “It’s not so rough, is it?”
She rested her hands over the dark-brown ones pressed against her belly. “I see why they like to come here and hang out. It’s better than those over-priced spas in California and Arizona.”
“Will you share a bath with me?”
Tricia closed her eyes. “Yes.”
Turning her in his embrace, Jeremy cradled her face between his palms. “I love you so much, Tricia.” His voice was pregnant with emotion. Her lids fluttered wildly before she met his heated gaze.
“I have to give you your wedding gift.”
A hint of a smile touched Jeremy’s mouth. “You are my wedding, birthday, Christmas, New Year’s and every day and holiday gift. I don’t need anything—only you.”
Leaning into him, Tricia’s lips brushed against his. “And you’re all I’ll ever need, Jeremy.” She kissed him again, then turned in his embrace and presented him with her back. “Please unbutton me.”
Jeremy made a big production of undoing the little buttons. With each inch
of flesh he bared he kissed. The top of the dress slid off her shoulders and the handkerchief fell to the floor. He bent over and picked it up. Tricia quickly explained the significance of something borrowed, eliciting a laugh from him.
“I thought you wanted to plump up your—”
“Don’t even go there, Jeremy Blackstone,” she said, cutting him off. “I have enough, thank you.”
Slipping his fingers under the straps of her slip, he eased it off her shoulders before unhooking her bra and baring her chest. Her breasts were large and firm like ripened fruit, fruit he wanted to suckle, fruit he wanted to feast on.
Tricia felt the heat of her husband’s gaze on her chest, and the area between her legs responded immediately with a rush of moisture that left the nether region pulsing with a need that only Jeremy could assuage.
Jeremy’s eyes widened until the dark centers fused with the sooty gray. His nostrils flared as he detected the scent of Tricia’s rising desire. She was ready for him.
“I’ll be right back.” Turning on his heel, he walked stiffly out of the bathroom. He had to get away from Tricia before he ripped the clothes from her body and took her on the tiled floor. He wanted her just that much.
But this was their wedding night, a night in which their coming together would be special enough for them to talk about when they were too old to do more than kiss and hold hands.
* * *
Tricia filled the large tub, undressed, hanging up her clothes in a corner closet and opened her vanity case. She’d managed to brush her teeth and cleanse the makeup from her face before Jeremy returned.
He was naked, and recessed lighting shimmered over a tall, lean dark body that reminded her of an African totem representing fertility.
Jeremy pushed a knob on the tub and water pulsed from the many jets. Smiling, he reached for her hand and led her down four marble steps into the swirling water. Warm water lapped over Tricia’s breasts as she floated buoyantly until her toes touched the bottom of the concave tub.
Curving her arms around her husband’s strong neck, she kissed him deeply, her tongue curling with his, the scent of mint wafting in her nostrils from his toothpaste and mouthwash.
It had been too long—weeks since they’d made love and Tricia responded like a cat in heat. Her hands swept over his shoulders, chest, breasts, belly and still lower to the hardness bobbing against her inner thigh.
Jeremy threw back his head and groaned loudly. The touch of Tricia’s hand squeezing his flesh was like a heated branding iron. He had wanted this coming together to be slow and leisurely, but knew it was not to be. Moving back to a depression built into the tub, he sat, bringing Tricia with him as she straddled his thighs.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he lifted her easily and she guided his sex into her body. They sighed in unison as flesh closed around flesh.
Bracing his back against the marble ledge, Jeremy watched desire darken Tricia’s eyes and face. Cupping her breasts he lowered his head and suckled her, nipples and areolae hardening like tiny pebbles. She met each of his powerful thrusts, giving and receiving in kind.
The passion he had withheld from every woman he had ever known he surrendered to Tricia.
The love he was unable to give any other woman he had ever met he surrendered to Tricia.
The children he’d hoped to have but never risked creating with any woman he surrendered to Tricia.
Everything he was and hoped to be he surrendered to the woman in his arms: his wife.
Tricia melted against Jeremy and her body and world was filled with him. Nothing mattered. The pain and loss of Juliet faded as she lowered her head to Jeremy’s shoulder and prayed for the beginnings of new life in her womb.
The pain, hurt, lies and deceit faded completely as a desire she had never known gripped her mind and body, setting them on fire. Her husband became flesh of her flesh, heart of her heart and soul of her soul.
She breathed in deep soul-wrenching drafts as waves of ecstasy throbbed through her lower body. Her hips quickened, moving against Jeremy’s in an age-old rhythm that sent scalding blood through her veins.
She was on fire!
Tricia’s eager response matched Jeremy’s. He felt his flesh hardening, swelling until a familiar sensation signaled their passionate lovemaking was nearing its climax.
He closed his eyes, threw back his head and growled deep in his throat when her pulsing flesh squeezed him tightly. His breath came in long, surrendering moans at the same time Tricia’s fingernails bit into the flesh over his shoulders. He welcomed the pain as he succumbed to le petit mort. He had faced death again, but this time it was in the most exquisite way possible. It was in the scented embrace of a woman he would love forever.
A moan of ecstasy slipped through Tricia’s clenched teeth. She had wanted it to last longer but her body’s dormant sexuality was starved for a desire long denied, and she was hurtled beyond the point of no return as a lingering pulsing passion burned like smoldering embers. She clung to Jeremy like a drowning swimmer, her head resting on his shoulder while she waited for her pulse to return to normal.
She closed her eyes and smiled. “I love you,” she whispered hoarsely.
Jeremy tightened his grip on her waist. “Love you back.”
* * *
Tricia and Jeremy returned to Blackstone Farms enveloped in a glow of love and contentment that was obvious to all who glimpsed them. They had spent three days cloistered in the cabin, making love, cooking and planning their future.
Jeremy maneuvered into the driveway to Sheldon’s house and cut off the ignition. Shifting, he smiled at Tricia. He had wanted to take her home, but she insisted they stop to see Gus.
Resting his right arm over the back of her seat, he leaned over and brushed a light kiss over her parted lips. “You’re still glowing.”
Tricia nuzzled his neck. “That comes from being in love.” She had lost count of the number of times they’d made love with each other. It was as if they were insatiable and wanted to make up for the time they were apart. And each time she opened her arms and legs to her husband she opened her heart to accept all Jeremy offered.
Jeremy stepped out of the vehicle to assist Tricia when he spied the familiar figure of his father sitting out on the porch. He waved to the older man.
“Hey, Pop.”
Sheldon pushed off the chair and came down the porch. A warm smile softened his sharp features. “Hey, yourself.” He offered Jeremy a rough embrace before he leaned into the open passenger-side window and pressed a kiss to Tricia’s cheek. “You look wonderful.”
Tricia returned his rare smile. “I feel wonderful. We came by to check on my grandfather.”
“Gus went out.”
“Out!” Tricia practically shouted.
“He went to the movies,” Sheldon said quickly. “His nurse thought he would do better if he didn’t stay home so much, so she took him to the movies to see a romantic comedy about two middle-aged couples who find love after they join a group for widows and widowers.”
Jeremy leaned against the bumper of the SUV and crossed his arms over his chest. “You should’ve gone with them. You could use a few pointers about getting back into the dating scene.”
Sheldon’s eyebrows drew together in a scowl. “Tricia, please take your husband home.” Turning on his heel, he mounted the porch stairs and went into the large white house.
Tricia knew Ryan wanted his father to remarry, but this was the first time she’d heard Jeremy mention it. “Jeremy, let’s go home.”
* * *
Jeremy shifted and rested his arm over Tricia’s hip. “Do you think I pissed Pop off?”
Tricia opened her eyes and stared out at the shadowy darkness. “You know your father better than I would ever know him, but I suspect he resented your intrusion into his personal life.”
“Pop has been alone for too long.”
Tricia turned and faced her husband. “He’s single by choice, darling. Your father is a
very handsome man whom many women would find attractive and consider a very good catch. Once he meets the right woman he’ll want to change his marital status without his sons insisting they know what’s best for him.”
Jeremy’s arm tightened on her waist, bringing her body flush against his. “Are you telling me to mind my business?”
She smiled in the dimness of the bedroom. “Yes, my love. No, Jeremy!” she gasped when a hand reached down and covered her feminine heat.
Her protests were short-lived once she found herself sprawled over her husband’s chest, and the only thing that mattered was that she loved the man in her arms as much as he loved her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Tricia sat on the floor in the living room opening cartons. It had taken her two days to empty the boxes containing items for the kitchen and put everything she intended to keep away. Another day was spent unpacking china, silver and stemware that had once graced her dining room. She preferred her own dining room furniture to the style that Jeremy had selected. When she told him she wanted to make the switch he told her that the house was hers to change, decorate or renovate.
He had begun the responsibility of taking over the reins of running the horse farm from Sheldon. Jeremy, Sheldon and Ryan had established a ritual of meeting after breakfast to discuss the farm’s finances and the projected sale of existing stock to increase cash flow. Expanding Blackstone Farms Day School from preschool to sixth grade had strained the farm’s cash reserves. It would take more than two years of tuition from the non-farm students to recoup the expenditures.
Tricia glanced up when she heard familiar footsteps. Jeremy stood over her, smiling. He tightened the knot to a wine-colored tie under the collar of a stark-white shirt. Her wedding gift to him of a pair of white-gold and onyx cufflinks were fitted into the shirt’s French cuffs. He and Sheldon were scheduled to go into Richmond for a breakfast meeting with a banker to apply for a short-term loan.
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