“Who are you?” he whispered.
“I am yours, Sir,” she murmured.
“Do you know what I’m going to do to you?”
“Whatever you like.”
Without warning her, Nathan pulled out and flipped her over onto her back. He pushed her legs apart, delighted by her small gasp of surprise. Positioning himself between her splayed legs, he entered her. He looked into Rose’s mesmerising green eyes and saw his own passion reflected.
Rolling both of her nipples between his fingers, he said, “That’s right. Whatever I like. And right now, I will make love to you. I will love you and play with you and kiss every part of you. I will hold you and touch you. I will make you come until you beg me to stop. And when I am finished, you know what you will do?”
“What will I do, my Lord?” she asked breathily.
“You will lie in my arms and sleep,” he promised, leaning down to gently kiss her sweet, warm mouth. “You are mine.”
Chapter Three
Water Moccasin White
—
A blend of Vidal and Seyval grapes named after the deadly water snake, this seemingly innocent white carries a punch of full-bodied flavours of peach and vanilla with a lingering ‘afterbite’ of pear.
“Nathan!” Vince shouted.
“Hey, man,” Nathan returned his friend’s greeting.
Without bothering to ask, Vince reached into the cooler beneath the bar, opened two bottles of beer and slid onto the bar stool next to Nathan.
“Thanks,” Nathan said as he took a swig of the cold brew. “Got a situation, Vince. Could use some advice.”
“Shoot.”
He and Vincent had grown up as neighbours and best friends in the Italian Hill district of St. Louis. Vince and his wife, Joe, now lived in that same neighbourhood with their son, Cain. Nathan knew he could tell Vince anything. Hell, they’d had each other’s backs since they were five years old.
“Did a little snooping around in Rose’s past,” he admitted.
Vince whistled through his teeth. “Brave man to go behind a red-head’s back. What brought that on?”
Nathan explained about the letter Rose had received but refused to read.
“Seems her father has been trying to find her for quite some time now, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Can’t say as I blame her. She had a tough childhood that he could have made easier,” he elaborated.
“How tough?” Vince asked.
“Tough enough. I knew she and her mom were living in North St. Louis when her mom died, but she wouldn’t tell me much more than that. Turns out, her mom had a rap sheet as long as my arm.”
Vince said nothing, but gave Nathan his full attention.
“Seems Mommy Dearest had a few prostitution and drug charges on her resume. And one charge of child endangerment.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed, barely controlling the fury boiling inside him. No one, absolutely no one, had the right to harm another person, especially a child.
“Her mom, Melinda Hester, died of a drug overdose. Rose was the one to find her and call nine-one-one. She was twelve years old and went into foster care after that. She graduated from Clyde C. Miller Career Academy and then got her massage certificate from Southwestern Illinois College over in Belleville. She’s been working as a therapist since then. Moved to Caseyville a few years ago.” Nathan relayed this information in a matter-of-fact voice.
“That Private Investigator’s licence has come in handy, huh?” Vince asked.
Nathan just nodded.
“So what’s the problem?” Vince continued.
“The problem is I read the letter from her dad’s lawyer. I did a little investigative work on him as well. Her dad graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a double degree in agriculture and business. Six years ago he started up his own winery in southern Illinois—Blue Jay Hills. The place is doing okay, but not great. Seems it’s a fair distance off the beaten path. Still, the guy is solvent and appears to be an upstanding businessman. Volunteers to help with underprivileged kids, pays his taxes, been married to the same woman since three years after earning his degree.”
Nathan gulped down the rest of his beer then continued. “He recently hired his own PI to find Melinda Hester. I’m guessing that’s how he found out about Rose.”
“Why do you think Rose wants nothin’ to do with the guy? I mean, hell, you’d think she’d be glad to know she has a dad and that he wants to contact her,” Vince questioned.
“She’s angry. I know that much, but at what and why I’m not sure,” Nathan answered.
“Duh!” a female voice joined in.
“Hey, Joe. Didn’t notice you standing there,” Nathan said with a brief glare. He trusted pretty little Joe but still didn’t appreciate anyone eavesdropping on his conversations.
“That’s because you’re kind of self-absorbed, but don’t think I heard everything. I might be sneaky, but I’m also respectful of other people’s privacy. Still, Rose is my friend and what hurts her pisses me off. You really don’t know why she’s angry?” Joe persisted.
“If I knew I wouldn’t be here would I?” Nathan retorted.
“Now, now, don’t get testy with me, big guy,” Joe scolded. “Put yourself in her shoes for a minute. She watched her mom turn tricks to put food on the table, probably saw more depravity before she was twelve than all three of us put together, which is sayin’ something considering I was raised in a bar and you guys are…well…guys.
“Anyway, she found her mother dead from an overdose and survived the foster care system. Luckily, her foster parents were good people and got her some counselling. They were friends with my folks so that’s how I met her. Then, suddenly, a father appears out of nowhere? Where the fuck was he when she needed him?”
Nathan glanced at Vince, who was keeping his eyes focused on the top of his shoes. Obviously, Vince would offer no help. Nathan ran a hand over his face and scratched his bald head.
“Damn. You’re right, Joe,” Nathan admitted.
Joe placed a soft hand on Nathan’s shoulder before she said, “Of course I am. You need to be careful. Really careful. Rose has been through hell and survived on her own wits and very little else. She won’t take kindly to having you root through her business without her knowledge. And let me warn you—if you hurt her, I’ll castrate you.”
Nathan looked into Joe’s steely blue eyes, held her face in his hands and kissed her soundly. “Joe, if I hurt her, you won’t have to castrate me. I’d rather die myself than see her suffer any more. Vince, your woman is a godsend.” He gave Vince a friendly slap on the shoulder and left the bar. He had work to do.
Chapter Four
Catawba—An all American grape filled with innocent sweetness. The perfect after dinner sweet wine.
Rose puttered about her yard, pulling weeds from around the herbs and picking aphids off her tomatoes.
Bugs—yuck!
But still, she much preferred growing her own vegetables so that she could avoid as many chemical fertilisers and pesticides on her food as possible. And while she hated dealing with creepy crawlies, she’d take them over ingesting unknown chemicals any day. She had a few hours to herself before her first appointment that afternoon—an elderly woman who suffered from arthritis—so this seemed as good a time as any to do a bit of gardening. Actually, she was looking forward to her appointment. She’d been seeing Mrs McDaniel twice a week for three years now. When she’d first started, the sweet old lady had been in constant pain and was considering moving into an assisted living facility. Now, thanks to a specialist at Barnes-Jewish hospital and Rose’s ministrations, Mrs McDaniel could again make her famous gooseberry pie and still lived independently.
As she continued with her chores, her mind drifted. She walked to pick up the garden hose and smiled just a bit at the slight soreness between her legs. Nathan. Strong, sweet, kind, stubborn Nathan. The day she met him had to have been plotted by the Goddess.
“I’m here to give you a full body massage,” Rose stated, staring at the gorgeous man who had opened the door to her. “Your friends, Joe and Vince, said this was part of your birthday gift. Here’s my card.”
Nathan grinned at her, then threw back his head and laughed. Rose shifted from foot to foot as she waited for him to compose himself.
“Well then, darlin’, come on in. What’s your name?” he asked.
“I’m Rose Hester. And if you’d like to see my qualifications, I’d be happy to show you my state certificate,” Rose assured him.
“If Joe and Vince sent you, I’ve no doubt you’re legit.”
Rose set up her portable massage table and set out her oils.
“Okay. Joe said you probably needed a relaxation massage, but if that isn’t correct and you want something else, just let me know. I can target sore areas due to arthritis, sports injury, muscle cramping. But…I need to be sure you understand, I don’t usually work on men alone. I’m a state licensed massage therapist and that is all I do. Got it? You try anything funny with me and I’m out of here and will press charges. I also hold a brown belt in karate.”
Nathan grinned. “Got it. No hanky panky. And yeah. I’d really like the relaxation thing.”
After he had settled himself on her table and she’d ascertained that he had no allergies, she added a few drops of lavender and chamomile oils to the almond oil she used as a base and began the massage. She worked diligently on loosening the knots in his shoulders and lower back. Despite her attempt to remain completely professional, she couldn’t help but notice the strong muscles and spectacular physique of the man. She barely suppressed a gasp of pure wonderment when he turned over so she could begin to work on his impressive chest and biceps. Hell, she’d always been a sucker for a strong chest and arms.
“Hmmmm. That feels wonderful,” he whispered.
“Good. It’s supposed to,” she responded.
When she’d finished, she had every intention of leaving. For some reason, though, she felt reluctant to leave and took her time organising and cleaning her equipment, enjoying Nathan’s lingering gaze. Nathan’s only clothing was a towel wrapped around his waist and he was sitting in a straight-backed kitchen chair while she gathered her paraphernalia.
“You ever cross the bounds of professionalism with a client?” he asked.
“Never,” she answered. But, oh goddess, she’d love to cross that bound today.
“Good thing that Joe and Vince hired you then. That makes them your clients, not me,” he said.
Rose looked at him, startled for a moment. The smile on his face seemed to promise long nights and soft mornings.
“Good thing,” she agreed rashly.
He held out his hand and her pulse raced. Never before had she been so quick to walk into a man’s arms. Normally, she went to bed with a man only after weeks, sometimes months, of consideration. She had never impulsively enjoyed a one-night stand. But something about this man—his dark eyes, his strong voice—demanded obedience, and something deep in her soul responded. She went to him willingly and wantonly.
He kissed her, his lips sweet and soft, while he ensnared her hair in his hands, pulling. His tongue probed her mouth, demanding admittance she willingly gave. Roughly, his hand slid over her blouse and cupped her breast. He fingered her nipples until they were as hard as tiny diamonds.
“Undress for me,” he whispered.
“Yes.”
When she had removed her clothing, he stood and dropped the towel. During the massage, she’d carefully kept his private parts covered, touching only what was necessary. She’d never before risked her professional reputation by doing something tawdry. Now, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to do something totally wicked. Her eyes widened at his glory. His cock wasn’t enormous, for which she was grateful. But it was thick and curved and perfect. Without a thought in her head, she dropped to her knees before him and took his rod into her mouth. She cupped his magnificent balls while she ran her mouth up and down his shaft and heard him groan with what she hoped was satisfaction. Gently, she sucked the tip of his cock, rubbing her tongue against him. He yanked her hair, forcing her to yield her prize and look up at him.
“I’m going to fuck you, and you, little Rose, will love it,” he assured her.
“I will,” she promised.
This man whom she had just met touched her soul. Never before had she felt like this. Never had she wanted so badly to please a man, to be possessed by him. Never had she wanted to be taken.
He pulled her hair, directing her upwards until she was in a standing position. She had ignored the insignificant pain from her scalp and focused on his dark, commanding eyes. He turned at the waist, keeping one hand entangled in her hair..
“Put this on me,” he commanded, handing her a foil packet he retrieved from the end table drawer.
She obeyed, chiding herself for not remembering protection. With infinite care, she covered his cock with the condom. He lifted her, spreading her legs over his hips, his fingers digging into her ass cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheeks, his head, his lips. She wanted to devour the richness of his skin. He lowered her onto his cock. She gasped, astounded by the feel of him. She felt full, complete, taken—rocking her hips against his as he slapped her ass. She tightened her muscles around him as the heat from her stinging bottom radiated throughout her body.