WILD OATS (17 page)

There was a little hallway at the landing, but the door to Mrs. Briggs's bedroom was open. A pale yellow light glowed from the far side of the room.

Jedwin stepped inside and immediately set his lamp down on the highboy by the door, fearing that any minute he would nervously drop it to the floor and set the house on fire.

He didn't see Mrs. Briggs in the room until a movement captured his eye. Behind an oak-and-panel dressing screen, Jedwin saw a long shadow of movement and heard the rustle of clothing.

She was undressing.

Jedwin's hands began to tremble and he thrust them roughly into his pockets. And he waited.

Cora was waiting, too. Biting her lower lip, she was waiting for the courage to step out from behind the screen. The decision had seemed much easier downstairs. Downstairs, she was Mrs. Briggs and he was young Jedwin. Now, alone together in her bedroom, they were a man and a woman. And Cora found her composure slipping.

She glanced down forlornly at her nightgown. The faded flannel was nearly worn through at the elbows and hung upon her as unattractively as a lawn tent. Dismally she remembered the sheets on the bed. They were a patchwork of flour-sack cloth. Soft and sturdy but not fine enough for company. A first time deserved a new nightgown and good sheets, she thought to herself.

There was no help for it. Head high and with a bright smile plastered across her face, Cora stepped from behind the screen.

He stood near the doorway, hands in his pockets, looking almost as ill at ease as she felt.

"Jedwin," she whispered.

"Here, ma'am," he'd answered hurriedly, as if she were the teacher calling the roll.

Walking toward him, Cora could feel the cold pine boards beneath her feet.

"Would you like to slip out of your clothes, Jedwin?" she asked him as she reached the end of the bed and leaned gratefully against the sturdy oak bedstead for support.

For a long, very long moment, Jedwin said nothing.

She watched him take a nervous swallow.

He stared at her in the warm glow of the coal-oil lamps. The one in front of her showed the beauty of her face and the long fall of wavy sorrel brown hair, unbound by its usual restrictions. The lamp behind her shone through the thin cotton flannel she wore, defining her hips and thighs. His imagination took off, hell-bent, at the sight. He could almost see her parting those white thighs. He could almost feel the hot, hidden depths of her. His body hardened and he fought the urge to pull her toward him roughly.

"Jedwin?" His name was a soft question.

With tactless haste, Jedwin raised one foot in the air, grasping the heel and toe of his brown leather congress gaiter. He hopped a couple of times for balance before freeing his foot of the shoe. He threw it unthinking, where it banged loudly against the wall.

Startled by the noise, Cora moved back slightly.

The back of her legs touched the bed.

Jedwin breathed deeply as he sent his other shoe flying in the direction of the first. Pushing his suspenders from his shoulders, he pulled at his shirt. One button flew across the room. Finally, he dragged the shirt over his head.

His trousers fell to the floor and he stepped out of them without a backward glance. Wearing only his balbriggan underwear and beads of nervous perspiration on his upper lip, Jedwin took one more step. And he was standing right in front of her.

"Jedwin?" she asked again.

He could hardly concentrate over the screaming self-admonitions in his own brain.
Slowly, slowly,
he told himself.
Be gentle, be careful.
But the restraint of the past weeks and his long-frustrated need surged through him. Desire overwhelmed the last bit of good sense remaining.

He saw Cora's unchaste glance flicker downward. It was only a glance, but the skimming of her gaze felt to Jedwin like the touch of her hand. He was rigid with aching need.

Cora's trembling hands came up to touch the hard, muscled flesh of his shoulders and to stroke so gently along his arms and chest. Her encouraging touch had his heart beating loudly and sent hot surges of desire and anxiety within him. Passion overwhelming fear, Jedwin tilted his head slightly and with one finger raised her chin until his lips were next to her own.

It was a sweet, gentle kiss. So reminiscent of many others they had shared. But, the quaking of his body was a totally new and almost frightening sensation. He had to have her. He had to have her before he shattered into pieces.

Pulling his mouth from hers, he almost didn't have time to breathe before he slid an arm behind her knees and laid her beneath him, sprawling them both across the faded quilt on the bed.

"Jedwin!" her voice held a note of genuine apprehension.

"Oh, Mrs. Briggs, Mrs. Briggs," he murmured hotly against her neck. "It's just me, just Jedwin. Oh, Mrs. Briggs, you are heaven. I can't believe this. I must be dreaming."

His hands flew hurriedly across the generous curves of her body. He expected at any moment to lose permission to touch her, and he couldn't stop touching her, he would never be able to stop touching her. Jedwin could feel her fears easing, as he held his caress to tender touching that was enticing and familiar.

"I'm going to be gentle," he murmured. "I'm going to be gentle with you, Mrs. Briggs." His words were as much for his own reassurance as hers.

Helpfully Cora worked open the buttons on his undershirt and eased the heavy cotton from his shoulders. Temporarily the sleeves had him trapped with his arms behind him. Cora took that opportunity to lay her cheek against his breastbone and to slowly turn her head until her lips touched his skin.

"Ahhhh!" Jedwin's exclamation was as much pleasure as pain.

Tearing himself out of the undershirt, he reached down to the woman beneath him and pushed up her nightgown. His hands were there, smoothing as if enraptured by the soft, silky flesh of her inner thighs.

"Oh, Mrs. Briggs," he whispered in breathless awe.

His fingers delved in her forbidden warmth, his body trembled uncontrollably, like a man taken with fever. Never, never had he felt such sensation. Never, never had his body so controlled his actions.

"I love you, Mrs. Briggs!" he declared as he jerked down his briggans. "I love you so much!"

He parted the womanly flesh that was wet and warm beneath his hand and thrust himself inside her.

Cora hadn't time to emit even a cry of surprise before his body stiffened convulsively and he collapsed on top of her.

Both were stunned to complete silence.

Jedwin spoke at last in hard-won, groaning words. "Thank you, Mrs. Briggs," he murmured. "Oh thank you so much, oh it was so good, it felt so good, oh thank you so much, oh I love you, oh—"

With a deep, masculine sigh of satisfaction, Jedwin snuggled against the feminine flesh. Pillowing his head against her ample bosom, he murmured more muffled gratitude against her breast for a moment before the smooth, even breathing told her that he had fallen fast asleep.

Cora Briggs lay staring at the ceiling for several minutes, quite unable to think or imagine or even grasp what had happened. Then she felt the warm breath of Jedwin Sparrow against her bosom. She looked down at him.

He was quite handsome, she thought. His mouth was partially open, and Cora was now sure that it was true that a man could fall asleep with a smile on his face. It was a young face. With his eyes closed, he could have been still a lad. But the prickly stubble that abraded her breast was clearly not a boy's peach fuzz. Jedwin Sparrow was a man, and Cora was glad.

He was still inside her and she could feel the tenseness of his invasion lessening as he softened. He had hurt her, some. She had been far from ready. But there was no great injury and she felt a strange comfort in this moment of closeness and in his eagerness. Lovemaking with Luther had always been something
he
did to
her.
Usually pleasant, sometimes shatteringly pleasurable, Luther controlled every moment, every movement of their mating. Seeing to Cora's satisfaction was taken up by him with as much sense of duty as providing for her shelter. Luther had been a demanding husband in bed, but never a selfish one.

Jedwin had clearly left her wanting, still she found herself inexplicably a bit pleased. Luther had always been so proud of his stamina. Jedwin had been carried away with his desire.

Tentatively Cora reached out a hand and caressed his hair. She suddenly felt the very inappropriate urge to giggle, but she managed to stifle it. She was finally a scarlet woman. But after waiting eight years, the sinful act had lasted less than a minute. Smiling, she leaned forward to feather a tiny kiss on the smooth brow of the man in her arms.

Strangely, she didn't feel sorry, or even that she should be. Guilt and recrimination could come tomorrow. Tonight she felt pleasantly warm and safe in this man's arms.

With a deep baritone moan, Jedwin came awake and opened his eyes. He stared at her in awe as if he were not entirely sure that she was real.

"Hello there," she whispered quietly with a smile.

"Hello yourself," he answered in a slightly hoarse voice. His grin was slow and languid as he looked up at her. “Thank you," he said again.

As if suddenly realizing that he lay full upon her like a two-hundred-pound sack of meal, Jedwin moved to rise. Cora wrapped her arms around him and stayed his retreat.

"I must be heavy."

"It feels good," she answered. Wiggling her pelvis provocatively, Cora felt him, half inside her, react. "Don't leave me," she said. "Not yet."

Jedwin's eyes widened and he pressed himself deeper within her. "You mean you want to do that again?" he asked.

Cora did giggle then. "No," she told him with warm laughter. "I hope we never quite do
that
again. Let's do something more fun."

He sighed, his expression sober. "I didn't please you very much."

Cora took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "It was a bit hurried, Jedwin," she told him. "But, you were gentle and I ... I felt wanted." Her hesitation spoke her sincerity. "These things take practice, I think."

"I'm sorr—" Cora put her hand over his mouth.

"Don't apologize, Jedwin," she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I fully intend that you to take this practicing quite seriously. You will just have to do this again and again until you get it right."

Her naughty grin was contagious. Jedwin shifted within her slightly. "I'm not sure how much practice one man can take."

Cora caressed his shoulder reassuringly. "You'll be ready again soon, I think." As if to insure that her statement become fact, she wiggled sensuously beneath him.

Jedwin's chin came up and he chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised ma'am. I've been hard enough to hammer railroad spikes for a couple of weeks now."

Cora's mouth dropped open in surprise, then she laughed right along with him.

Jedwin's smile waned. "I'll try to make it better for you next time, Mrs. Briggs," he promised her quietly.

Cora ran her hand along his jawline, a loving touch. Her expression was tender, but serious. There was no amusement in her now. "Jedwin, I didn't choose to have loving with you because I thought you were a fancy Romeo who'd know all the tricks and all the moves. There are plenty of men in this town who would volunteer for that," she said. "I chose you because I wanted
you,
Jedwin. Just you, having loving with
me
and no pretense."

She raised her face to his invitingly and Jedwin's lips met hers. He took her lower lip between his teeth and sucked it gently. The sweetness warmed them both as his arms came around her and eased her more tightly against him. Kissing was something they had already practiced, and with leisurely remembrance he teased and coaxed her lips with his own. Tiny pecks and love bites were interspersed with hot, openmouthed kisses and an occasional slip of the tongue.

"This is nice," she whispered against his neck.

Encouraged, he let his lips travel across her face to her neck and throat.

The nightgown that he'd raised so hurriedly was uncomfortably bunched around her waist Slowly, as if expecting to be refused, Jedwin raised the soft cotton flannel up around her neck, baring her before him.

"You are beautiful," he said breathlessly as he laid a kiss in the pale valley between her breasts.

Cora hadn't needed the words, she'd felt him stiffen inside her and rocked her pelvis against him. Reaching up, she pulled the nightgown over her head, reveling in the freedom of being naked beneath him.

His hands trembled as he laid them upon her bosom. He touched her as if she were fine spun glass, too delicate to caress. But her nipples tightened in response.

"I won't break," Cora assured him.

He smiled lightly, but still his touch was gentle. He brought his lips to the rosy crested peaks and a small sigh of pleasure escaped from Cora's throat.

"How does this feel?" he asked her.

She couldn't quite find the words. "Your mouth is so soft, your breath is so hot," she whispered. "It feels—" From the back of her throat a tiny moan escaped her. "It feels so sweet, so warm, so . . .oh Jedwin."