Chaste (McCullough Mountain) (29 page)

His
hands dragged up her back and chills skated under her clothing. Her thighs
tightened over his knees. She wanted to crawl inside of him, so deep he could
never push her away again.

As
his mouth made love to hers her body thrummed with excitement. Her panties became
wet—a reaction she only ever had around him—and she moaned into his mouth. He
ripped his lips from hers and the world spun as she was abruptly deposited on
her back. She blinked into Kelly’s dark blue eyes as he suspended his weight
above her on the floor.

“You’re
so fucking beautiful, Ash. Am I dreamin’ or is this real?”

Her
cheeks heated as she smiled up at him. “It’s real.”

His
shoulders lifted with every deep breath. “What does this mean?”

“I
don’t know. I…trust you.”

His
expression sobered as though he were just charged with great responsibility. He
nodded and then his mouth was back on hers, devouring her, causing her spine to
arch and her legs to wrap around his strong hips. His body was so powerful.
Every brush of his clothing ratcheted up her arousal to a place she never knew.

No
longer worried about what he might think of her, she dragged her hands through
his hair wantonly, tipping her head back as he kissed his way down her throat.
“Kelly…”

“Tell
me,” he rasped, running his lips over her pulse just beneath her ear.

“I
need… I don’t know.”

“I
got you, love.” His hips rocked into hers and a delicious friction built.

There
was a clink of metal and she glanced down as Kelly fiddled with the snap of her
overalls. Trepidation had her lungs working overtime as the clip came undone.
Kelly watched her and stilled. Placing the buckle on the floor behind her
shoulder, he stared into her eyes.

Dragging
the back of his knuckle down her cheek, he whispered, “Do you trust me?”

She
nodded. “Yes.”

He
unlatched the other buckle and pulled down the front flap of her overalls. Her
breasts swelled beneath her tank top with every jagged breath. Kelly’s intense
gaze returned to hers. “You’re so perfect.”

She
shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes.
You are.” He kissed her and the weight of his body over hers was the most
comfortable blanket she’d ever had.

His
mouth traveled low on her throat, all the way to the collar of her tank top.
Dewy perspiration formed under her clothes. Soft fingers trailed up her arms,
across her shoulder, and down the center of her chest right where the seam of
her ribs covered her pounding heart.

He
watched as his touch traveled to the swell of her breasts. “Your clothes stay
on, Ash. I insist.”

She
nodded, unsure what he had planned, but wanting him to continue more than she
wanted her next breath. His palm lowered and heat seeped through the cotton of
her shirt and bra. Her back bowed and she pressed into his touch as his fingers
curved around her rising chest.

Her
nipples hardened into tight nubs and his finger dragged over the tip. “Kelly.”

“So
sexy, Ashlynn. Sexier than any woman has a right to be.”

His
head lowered and his mouth closed over the sharp tip pressing against the
fabric. Damp heat collected as his lips tightened and pulled. “Oh, God…”

“You
can call me Kelly.”

She
laughed and he shifted to the other breast, cutting off all humorous responses.
The sensations he was provoking were too much to contain. Moans continued to
slip past her lips and his hand was suddenly slipping beneath the denim of her
pants.

She
panicked. Her panties were soaked and he’d feel that. “Kelly, wait.”

He
stilled. “Do you want me to stop?”

Words,
Ashlynn. Form words!
“No…
it’s just…” She swallowed. “I’m…”

“Wet?”

Oh
God.
She
couldn’t imagine what her face looked like, but she felt it crumple. “I’m
sorry. I don’t—”

“Hey.
It’s natural. Do you still trust me?”

She
nodded and his palm closed over her panties, pressing into her sex. She was hot
and sticky and needed more. Kelly groaned the minute he made contact and
dropped his head to her shoulder. “Damn. You’re so warm here. I can smell your
arousal and all I want to do is drink it up.”

His
lips pressed to her throat and then his hand was moving—rubbing, tormenting,
stimulating sensations she had no reference for before him. Her knees twitched.

“Spread
your legs for me.”

Opening
her knees, he did something, touched something, and she jerked at the intense
pleasure. His mouth kicked up and his dimple winked at her. “I’m going to make
you come.”

Yeah.
That sounded nice.

His
fingers stroked through the saturated fabric of her panties and his mouth
crashed to hers. Sensations spiked through her. She moaned into his mouth as
his other hand cupped her breast and teased her nipple. Then desire, deep and
too long denied, shattered inside of her.

Her
mouth ripped away from his as her spine arched. His fingers rubbed and teased
and the sensations kept coming as she called out his name over and over again.

Muscles
tightened as need splintered through her bones. One thousand tiny spasms took
hold of her reflexes as her body jerked under his hold. Warmth coated her folds
and her body shook with tremors and locked from her toes to her jaw.

Uncaring
of what was happening to her, she grabbed his face, and kissed him hard. She
was wild and out of control. His body rocked over hers and he grunted and
whispered her name.

Could
he possibly be feeling what she was feeling? Suddenly the muscles in his back
went rigid and his shoulders trembled as a shiver took hold of him. His face,
suspended above hers was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. His lashes
lowered as his mouth parted, jaw slack, and her name passed like a prayer on
his lips. “Oh, sweet Ashlynn…”

The
moment was perhaps the most intense, erotically charged experience of her life.
Emotion kept her trembling, unsure what was to come next, afraid of letting him
go again. It was as though her soul was fighting to break through her skin and
grab hold of him tight.

When
his lashes lifted he stared at her in a way he never had before. They simply
stayed there, looking into one another’s eyes. He appeared as shocked as she
was at what had just happened. Did she do it wrong?

“You’re
incredible,” he rasped.

She
couldn’t talk. She could barely breathe. His lips pressed to hers in a chaste
kiss. His fingers shook as they coasted over her lips, cheeks, and jaw. Never
once did he take his eyes off of her. Fear of goodbyes kept her silent.
Don’t leave me again.

He
was everything she wanted and the cruel reality was simply a torture she could
no longer bear. Her hands petted over his shoulders as tears clouded her
vision.
Don’t go. Don’t leave me again. I
want you. I’ll be whatever you need me to be, just…stay.

After
several minutes of unspoken fears, he dragged his mouth over hers and kissed
her slowly. Worry became a cramp in her heart tempting hysteria. His voice was
soft when he pulled away. “I have to run to the little boy’s room. Promise you
won’t leave.”

She
nodded and he slowly stood, reaching down a hand to help her off the floor. Her
legs could barely hold her weight. He’d said don’t leave. That had to mean
something. Carefully, he adjusted her suspenders so her clothes wouldn’t fall
off. When she glanced up he was watching her, a peculiar smile on his face. Was
he blushing?

He
caught her wrist and pulled her roughly to his chest, his mouth closing over
hers in a kiss that left her even dizzier than before. “I’ll be right out.”

He
disappeared through the back of the bar and she stumbled to her chair. Her unsteady
fingers closed over her glass, slipping on the condensation as she brought it
to her lips. Pushing the straw aside, she guzzled the diet cola.

Kelly
appeared a few moments later and returned to his seat. “You okay?”

She
nodded.

“What
happens now?” She couldn’t look at him. Rejection hurt enough when it was
heard. Seeing it in his eyes would shred her to pieces. Perhaps that’s why she
came here, to prove nothing had changed. It was the same lesson she’d relearned
at every encounter they shared. Needing the pain to put her back in line so she
could walk away one more time. Perhaps make it another few weeks before finding
him again, each time pushing further and further away until she finally got
over him. But something told her she’d never be fully over him.

His
voice was small. “You could marry me.”

She
laughed at the same time as him, probably to hide the pain of the hopelessness,
but when she met his gaze the laughter died and his smile faded.

“You
could, you know. You could be my wife.”

“Kelly,
stop it. That isn’t a joking matter.” How she managed to talk so casually about
something that would so cruelly rip her heart to shreds once the joke was over
was beyond her.

“Who
says I’m joking?”

That
was Kelly. Perhaps she could play his game for the moment to ignore the pain,
act like life wasn’t serious and get through the hurtful parts. This was how he
coped. He laughed it off and maybe that was the trick to happiness.

She
pursed her lips and tilted her head, telling him to knock it off. He still
wasn’t laughing. The blurred line of humor and sincerity clouded and they
needed a reality check. Serious matters shouldn’t be joked about. “Kelly, I
believe in divorce about as much as I believe in premarital sex.”

His
lashes lowered, his expression wounded. Turning away, he softly said, “I’d be a
good husband. I’m not moody. I make a good living. I don’t drink as much as I
used to. I’d take care of you, Ashlynn.”

Her
forced smile fell. He was starting to worry her. “Kelly, this isn’t funny.”

“I’m
not making a joke, love. You see, once I stopped sleeping around, I realized
how empty my life was. The women are there, waiting if I want them, but I don’t
want them anymore. I only want one woman and she’s saving herself for a man
that may or may not exist. I think I could be that man, the one who loves her a
little more each day for the rest of her life and cares for her beyond all
else.”

Her
heart pinched, introducing a new level of agony, longing, and so many other
pains her little body couldn’t contain. She blinked and a tear fell from her
eye. “Kelly, you barely know me.”

“I
know that losing your mom broke a part of your heart no one will ever have. I
know you love your dad and talk to your plants. I know you start work before
dawn and don’t stop until you’re weary to the bone.

“I
know you’re sweet and funny and as much as those bunnies make you crazy you’d
never aim your gun at them. I’m also willing to bet when it comes to shootin’
you’d give Annie Oakley a run for her money. I know you drink diet cola because
you like the flavor, not because you worry about your figure. And I know the
idea of another man touching you is abhorrent. You see, love, there’s lots I
still don’t know about you, but I’m bettin’ it’ll be pretty fun learning. I’m
just not sure you’d be able to put up with a lifetime of me.”

Her
heart was pounding hard in her chest and she was shaking. Hope, fear, anxiety,
and excitement beat at her. She’d been in love with this man since he was
fourteen. She knew he was kind and gentle and funny and probably the most
beautiful image of man God had ever created. Nearly choking on the words,
praying she wasn’t so gullible that he could actually tease her in such a way,
she wheezed, “Are you serious?”

He
took her fingers and squeezed. “Who will want me when my looks fade and my body
ages? I know you like the way I look as much as I like the way you look. Hell,
you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever kissed. But you see more of me, Ashlynn. You
care what I have to say, what I think. You don’t fall for the act, and push me
to be a better man. You have faith I
am
better.
You’re different. No one’s ever seen me the way you do, unless I’m totally
misreading things, but I’m pretty sure I’m not. Since getting to know you I’ve
seen my brothers differently. I find myself envying Finn and Mallory’s
happiness and wanting what Colin and Sammy share. I never realized how lonely I
was until I considered my life without you.”

It
was too much. Her brain focused on the logical, steering clear of the emotional
havoc he’d unleashed on her heart. “Where would we live?”

And
that was when he said the magic words. “I’ll go wherever you go. Wherever you
live, I’ll live.”

Goosebumps
covered her arms. “That’s a line from the bible.”

“The
Book of Ruth, I believe.” He smiled cheekily. “There’s a redeemable Catholic
somewhere inside this heathen.”

She
grinned. “If you’re serious…” He couldn’t be. She’d wake up at any moment.

“I
am.”