Heat Wave (12 page)

When the rodeo was over, they drove to a huge red barn where the dance was. Cole introduced her to a few of his friends who were there, then led her to the dance floor. Fiddle music filled the air, mixing with laughter and shouts and the sound of feet stomping in the dust.

She and Cole danced constantly, whirling across the floor, advancing and retreating in time to the lively music. Marilee laughed continually with pleasure, delighting in Cole’s lithe movements, his easy grace and warm smile.

They drank cold cider and danced some more until finally he put his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the exit. “Ready to go?” he asked, slightly winded.

She nodded and they strolled out into the darkness to their car. As they drove home it was cool enough to leave the windows down, letting night air rush in.

Marilee snuggled against Cole without complaint, but when he headed west out of town, she pushed away. “You’re going the wrong direction,” she said.

“Let’s have a moonlight swim.”

“No!”

He slowed to pull off the highway, then cut the engine. With a rustle of movement he took her in his arms, leaning his hard body over her, bending her head back against his arm as he kissed her.

His lips opened hers insistently, his driving hunger taking her breath away. His uncontrolled desire was apparent and in a primitive reaction, she arched against him. An aching need for him swept her arms around his neck as if he were her last hold on life. No matter the dangers to her heart, she wanted him desperately with all her being. The surge of emotion between them as they kissed banished the barriers between them.

Breathing heavily, hardly able to articulate, Cole said, “Come home with me, honey.”

It was impossible to say no to him when he held her in his arms. Every inch of her strained toward him. Her breath exhaled in a soft, “Yes.”

As he slid away and started the car, Marilee realized how deep a commitment she had made to him. That first evening when she had succumbed she had been able to argue away her guilt, promising herself it wouldn’t happen again. Tonight was different. She had consented freely to go home with him, even though her rational mind was telling her not to.

Cole’s fingers curled around hers and he squeezed her hand. “Stop worrying. Everything’s too marvelous to worry.”

“It is right now,” she answered, wondering how long the magic would last.

The car sped through the night, its lights glowing on the dark stretch of road as the bright moon lighted the fields with a silvery brilliance. Time passed, stretching with the miles, and reason began to surface like a hungry wolf.

As they swung through the gates to his farm, they passed one of his men astride a horse, the dark silhouette of a rifle across his saddle. Cole tapped the horn lightly and the man waved.

The house still reeked of fried meat and french fries. The more time that elapsed, the more her doubts were increasing. Why had she consented? It was ridiculous, an open request for seduction. She paused in the dark kitchen.

Before she could say anything. Cole reached out and took her hand. His voice was husky in the quiet. “Don’t say it, Marilee. I can feel the objection coming.” Both arms slipped around her waist.

“You took advantage of me in the car,” she said in a weak voice. “You knew you’d get what you want if you kissed me.”

“All your resistance is on the surface, honey.”

“And all yours is down deep where it counts.”

“Shhh.” He lowered his head, she raised her lips. She felt as if she had been waiting for his embrace ever since he last released her. Waiting for him, wanting him. She stepped closer to his strong, marvelous body as his arms tightened about her.

The magic flared between them just as it had on their first encounter. The spark that made her want him so achingly was still there. His hipbones were sharp against her, his hard thighs pressed hers with as much demand as his mouth.

He whispered in her ear, “I haven’t rushed you. I’ve waited as long as humanly possible. …”

His thrusting, hungry kiss was more emphatic than his words. She trembled in his arms, feeling the joy of surrender. His kiss made her reel with pleasure, drove her to abandon. She wound her arms around his neck, arching to meet the body that felt so good against hers.

“You’ll never know how I’ve had to fight to resist taking you.” His voice held a rasp of yearning that shook her to her core.

His hands cupped her cheeks, tilting her face up. She closed her eyes, waiting, waiting …

She opened them, raising her lashes with an effort to find him watching her. “I want to see you look at me, to see in your eyes what I feel.”

And she knew it was plain to him, bared to his view. No summer Kansas heat had the power to melt her as quickly as his gaze. Every pore, every inch of her quivered with the need for him, for the slow, languid strokes of his strong brown hands, the caresses that made her feel all woman, so necessary for his maleness.

With vivid clarity she remembered the first time, their evening beneath the stars. She was as lost now, made more vulnerable by memories.

Vaguely, she whispered, “For you I’ll kiss my peace good-bye. I know you’re another romantic disaster in my life.”

“I’m not. This is so right. Tell me it isn’t. Say it!”

Her lips raised, seeking his. She knew in her heart she couldn’t mean more to him than a summer fling, a delightful interlude to be forgotten when he left Kansas. Whatever he felt, her heart was ensnared, bound deeper to him with every intimacy.

His hands moved over her cheekbones while his fingers wound in her hair. “You told me you were

too old for dreams, but I’ll show you that’s not true.”

He tugged the ribbon free and her hair swung over her shoulders. His hands slipped down her arms and around her waist to draw her to him again.

Her hands rested on his broad shoulders, itching to stroke his smooth skin. He tilted her chin up. “Kiss me, Marilee.”

And she had to, wanted to eagerly. She raised her lips to meet his, to taste him. His mouth forcefully possessed hers. He held her close as one hand outlined her curves, drifting from her shoulder to her thigh, leaving a burning trail of need.

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone,” he whispered hoarsely. “We’ll be happy together.”

She placed her finger on his lips. “Shh, Cole. Don’t make impossible promises.”

“Nothing is impossible. Your mildest kiss is a searing brand. You respond instantly. All afternoon, this evening, whenever I barely touch your fingers, your eyes darken …” He kissed her throat, his ragged voice as seductive as his workroughened hands. “I couldn’t stop touching you, couldn’t resist watching your response, knowing you felt what I did. And you feel it now.”

She couldn’t deny his words. He was right.

“Since that first time, I haven’t demanded more than you’re willing to give.” He buried his face in her soft hair, his lips teasing her neck, her shoulder. “I don’t want to pressure you now.” His tongue trailed over her collarbone, up behind her ear. “We’ll take our time, but I want to love you until you’re beyond reason. …” His lips sought the back of her neck. He lifted her hair away and nuzzled the sensitive skin there. “Until you’re like you were that first night, a wild creature in my arms, a golden goddess.”

His deep voice seemed to melt her very bones, turning them to a soft, pliable substance that weakly supported her. His voice, his lips, his hands swirled over her like a dense fog, barely touching, enveloping her in a mist of desire. Deeper than the agony for his touch came a soul searing emotional need for Cole. He banished her loneliness, the pain from old wounds. Relishing each brush of his mouth, she ached for him. She was drowning in sensation, a dual desire of her own and that primitive desire of all women to give the ultimate pleasure to the man they love.

Love! The thought dizzied her. She couldn’t possibly love Cole. If she did, her future was hopeless.

But the future, the past fell away, lost to the moment, to the present need that heightened steadily. How much she wanted him! One night, a few hours. The same as that first evening. Could she lose herself to him again for a short time and still survive? While he held her as if she were a delicate flower, his hands resting on her hips, she tried to consider her question. There wasn’t any debate over the answer. She wanted Cole. Totally.

Controlling himself with a supreme effort, he took his time, caressing her leisurely with mild, whispery kisses, gentle touches. He caught her hand, lifting her wrist to his mouth, reminding her of that first night when he had done just that at her front door. “Can you guess how much I’ve wanted you in my arms?”

Standing quietly in the dark kitchen, listening to his heartbeat, she wound her arms around his neck. “I’ve never known anyone like you, anyone who’s affected me as you have. The more we’re together, the more I need you.”

A sharp yet sweet pain told her it would be so wonderful. He may not love her, but she would take the risk, would answer the unmistakable, ageless message in his blue eyes.

His fingers closed over the strap of her sundress, easing it down her shoulder while his gaze held hers and their breathing became labored. “How many times have you recalled that night, our lovemaking?” he asked.

“Too many,” she whispered, scarcely aware of what she said. Suddenly the temperature in the kitchen was unbearable. It was a sultry heat that made her skin damp, yet she knew it was her own response making her body a furnace.

He slid the other strap over her bare shoulder. ‘Turn around,” he commanded in a husky whisper.

She obeyed unthinkingly and his arm circled her waist. He kissed her shoulder as he pressed his body to hers, molding his front to her back. She could feel his strong legs, his male arousal. Cool air lazed over her moist skin as Cole swept her hair off the back of her neck, tasting her with his tongue and sending dazzling sparks down her spine.

She gasped with pleasure, closing her eyes, letting her head bow. His fingers brushed her back and his lips followed as he languidly tugged down the zipper of the sundress, baring her flesh to his seeking lips until he found her waist.

He released her hair and the thick auburn strands swung forward as he turned her to face him.

“Marilee, some things are hard for me to say. I’ve lived alone so much of my life. …”

It was difficult to follow his words, to forget his hands, to stop staring at his enticing mouth with firm lips that could be so very soft. …

He hit his chest lightly with his fist. “You fill something here, something I lack, some part of me. …”

If only she could believe him! He was speaking in a moment of passion, carried away no doubt by his hunger for her body. She could truthfully admit the same to him, but she was afraid to reveal how deep her feelings for him ran. She remained silent and his lashes drooped, half-covering his smoldering eyes.

He lazily pushed down the dark blue cotton dress, sliding it over her hips. She’d worn only filmy white panties beneath it. The dress fell unnoticed to the floor, then he hooked his fingers in the top of the panties and pulled them down until she stepped out of them.

She tilted her head back, gazing at him with narrowed eyes as his own blue eyes set her on fire.

His breathing was ragged, noisy in the silent kitchen. It was an effort to stand still, to wait and let him get his fill of looking at her. His languorous appraisal, drifting down, pausing, dropping lower, was as tangible as a caress. She longed to reach for him, to melt in his embrace.

“Cole …”

“Shhh. Wait, Marilee. I can’t get enough of you. I want to look and then I want to touch, to kiss where my eyes and my hands have already explored, to kiss every inch of flesh until you can’t be still, can’t stand and wait and watch …”

She pushed off her sandals, then began unbuttoning his shirt, baring his tanned chest. Her gently exploring fingers discovered his wildly pounding pulse.

He swept her into his arms. His long strides carried them down the hall into the living room where he placed her on the wide rust velvet sofa. Then he straightened, standing tall beside her.

The material under her back was soft, the air cool on her skin, but nothing registered except her awareness of Cole’s devouring gaze. He stepped back and sat on the edge of a dark brown chair. His gaze remained on her as he tugged off his black boots and socks.

She stood up when he did and pushed the shirt off his shoulders, her lips seeking the hollow of his throat, feeling the tiny sharp bristles of his beard as her lips traveled across his jaw to his mouth.

“Marilee …” He sighed her name, drawing out the word before his lips closed over hers in a heart stopping kiss that obliterated the world.

Fumbling with the heavy buckle, she unfastened his belt. His fingers shook as he unsnapped and unzipped his jeans, then he let them fall to the floor with a jangle of change.

He started to tug away his dark briefs, but Marilee’s fingers accomplished the task, moving down his strong legs.

“Oh, Lord, how I need you!” He groaned. “I’ve wanted you desperately since that first night. You shattered my life when you dropped from the sky.” He lay her down on the sofa and stretched out beside her.

He stroked her throat. “This is long enough to wait.” His brown fingertips brushed the underswell of her thrusting breast, making her gasp with pleasure. “Too long! You don’t know what effort it’s taken, how much control I had to exert that first evening. …”

His kisses were brief, hard, tantalizing before he shifted and slipped off the sofa to kneel beside it, his eyes feasting freely on her, causing her to writhe beneath their provocative scrutiny.

He leaned forward to fondle her, to discover her intimately, to give her ecstasy. She moved off the sofa, coming down into his arms, feeling his bare legs beneath hers. For the first time in her life all inhibitions fell away. She wanted to explore his muscled body, to give him pleasure, to caress his hard lean frame that was so precious to her.

The moments stretched, lost in escalating seeking, touching intimacies that rocked them both, making their hearts pound as one. She knew when his control was slipping. His kisses became harsh demands, his body shook beneath her fingers.