Big Sky Eyes (22 page)

“He did ask me,” she admitted softly. “But I was just making
a point to you.”

“What point?”

“That if I love someone, I would do anything for him, give
up anything for him.”

“Well, I hope this man is worthy of your love, Mackenna,” he
whispered painfully then planted his lips around the rim of his beer bottle to
keep them from revealing his anguish. The earthen, buttery brew slid down his
throat easier than the emotions clustered there. “Does he make you happy?”

His eyes latched onto hers so intensely that she blinked
nervously and looked away. She didn’t know how to answer his question. Rick had
never made her happy, truly. The simple truth should suffice, but she didn’t
want Brent to know how miserable her past year and a half had been without him.
The pretense that she was happily engaged was like armor against the ache in
her heart already throbbing back to life.

Inside Brent, something flickered.
A
biting protectiveness.
If this man wasn’t making her happy then he was
causing the new lines around her eyes and mouth. He watched as Mackenna’s
features drew down deeply. She was struggling, and struggling
hard,
to answer what should be a simple question. For a
brief moment, Brent wondered if he was interpreting her expression correctly when
she looked up at him.

“He doesn't make you happy?” he asked.

He bore a hole into her with his gaze and all she could feel
was anger. Why did he have to see right into her soul after so much time apart?

“What are you doing, Brent?” she asked in a harsh whisper.

“Are you happy with this guy or not, Mackenna?” was his
answer.

“Why do you care now?” she asked.

“What do you mean
now
?
I’ve always cared. You’re the one who cut me out, remember?”

“Oh, that’s rich,” she sneered. “What did you expect me to
do?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps ask me what my thoughts and feelings
were about everything.”

“And what would you have said differently than what you’d
already said before?” she set the beer down and sat up on the couch, facing
him. “I already knew your feelings for Leann.”

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” he tossed. “It obviously
wasn’t too great a love you felt if you could have gone and gotten yourself
engaged a year later.”

She gasped.

“It’s not like that,” she said while tears rushed to her
eyes. “I did love you. I suffered terribly over losing you.”

“You didn’t lose me, Mackenna,” he returned. “You threw me
out. There’s a difference. You want to talk about suffering? I have suffered
over you, too. I mourned the loss of my best friend only to realize that you
were more than a friend to me. And just as I was ready to pull you back into my
life, guess what I got? I got the news that you were engaged.”

She stood from the couch, feelings flooding her chest and
head at his words.

“You suffered?” she barely squeaked. “I waited for you for
two years, Brent.
Two years!
I would
have done anything to be with you. I would have gone anywhere. You talk about me
sacrificing my career for my fiancé? I would have given it all up for you, if
you had wanted it! But you know what I got for
my
feelings? I got a nice phone call from you saying ‘I met
someone.’ That’s what I got, Brent!”

He stood to face her as the intensity filled his face and
words.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway, does it? Now, you’re
engaged and happily martyring yourself for someone else.”

“No, I’m not!” she yelled.

“What?!
Happy or engaged?!”

“Neither!”

“And why is that?!”

“Because…” She held in the words threatening to spill.

“Because why?”

“Because…”

“Because
why
!”

“Because I’m still in love with you, you horse’s ass!”

Chapter 35

Brent stared at her tear-filled eyes and her chest rising
and falling with building anger and emotion. He let the words sink into his
skin, then into his heart, and finally into his soul. She was still in love
with him. In that moment his grief, his jealousy, his anger all dissolved into
a hungry and grateful passion and he reached out and grasped her face in his
hands, pulling her to him to press his mouth to hers.

The only resistance she put up was a mild cry of surprise as
she was jerked toward him and she placed her hands atop his. The heat of his
mouth was pouring through her, awakening a wild response that only he could
rouse. Her arms flew around him and she kissed him back with all of the
strength she could gather from years of aching and want, even as tears streamed
down her cheeks.

The second their lips touched he felt it, the perfection of
one body fitting to another, the sweet homecoming of drinking her essence yet
again. Every ounce of their love, every measurement of feeling was flowing
between them, serving the commands of their hearts, stoking the fires of their
bodies. He needed to feel her body against his. He moved her back until she
pressed up against the wall.

With his hands still cradling her face he deepened their
kiss, stroking and tickling her tongue until a tiny whimper escaped her throat.
When they finally broke for air, he peered into her eyes, glazed with tears and
the effects of his kisses.

“Tell me you love me,” he panted and she took her own deep
breaths before answering.

“I love you,” she answered.

He covered her mouth with his again, pulling on her lower
lip before letting it slide between his teeth.

“Again,” he said. His hands ran down her throat and over her
breasts until he took them in his hands and squeezed gently. She moaned softly
and shut her eyes.

“I love you, Brent,” she said breathlessly. “I love you. I
love you. I love you.”

His kisses replaced her words and her hands went to his
waist, reaching up beneath his dress shirt. His stomach was warm and rigid with
a lifetime’s worth of hardening and work. Her palms moved upward, soft and
searching, smoothing over the bulges of his chest and she sighed against his
mouth. This was what a man was supposed to feel like. This was what a man was
supposed to make her feel. She tried to reach around to savor his back, the
rippling back she’d admired from the first time she’d seen it, but the shirt
was too tight.

Without thinking, she brought her hands to the front and
tore it open. Buttons went flying and the view she longed for was presented to
her. She swore that she heard a deep chuckle, but she was too caught up in her
exploration to pay it any heed. Her fingertips ran along the contours of his
muscles until she pressed her lips to his nipple, giving it a flick with her
tongue, just as he’d done to hers years ago.

Brent groaned and placed his hands on her waist and lifted
her up. Her legs went instantly around his waist and he carried her to the
couch and laid her down, settling in between her thighs. All of a sudden, her
black turtleneck felt too tight, but Brent was already removing it. Once she
was free of the sweater, her black lacy bra was bare, pushing her breasts up
toward him. He stopped and stared and she felt a rush of fear and panic well in
her, remembering his rejection. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled
him close, his mouth hovering above hers.

“If you even think of stopping this time,” she warned, “I’ll
kill you.”

The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile and he ran his
fingertips down the length of her arms from wrist to tricep. She shivered.

“No chance of that,” he said.

He lowered his mouth to her neck and nuzzled his way down to
her shoulders. He lowered one bra strap, trailing it with his tongue, and then
the other. He reached behind and unclasped the bra and tossed it across the
room, where it snagged on a branch of the Christmas tree. As he lavished the
full attention of his lips and hands on her breasts, her body came alive
beneath him. She felt her center heating and throbbing until she grabbed him by
the hair and raised his eyes to hers.

“Now,” she begged. “I can’t wait any more.”

He sat back and removed the rest of his clothes. Mackenna
worked on her own until she saw his swollen shaft waiting for her. The
differences between him and Rick were staggering. The sheer size of him made
her at once excited and fearful. Brent pulled the last of her clothes free of
her ankles and set her legs down over his shoulders as he eased in between
them. He kissed the side of her knee and ran his hands up and down her calves.

“This isn’t your first time, is it?” he asked softly.

Mackenna frowned, fully regretting the nights she ever gave
herself to Rick. She shook her head. Brent, too, felt regret, but it was for
not claiming all of her when she had offered it. It didn’t matter though. She
was his now and forever, and he would make her happy for it. He ran his hands
down her thighs and held them slightly apart as he thrust himself up into her.

She arched her entire body in response to his thrust. Her
gasp was full of unexpected pleasure and surprise. She never knew that such a
simple act could be so different between two men. Rick lost to Brent with the
first kiss. Brent’s whole being commanded her passion and Mackenna was a
willing captive.

He thrust with his entire body and she could feel him
reaching up into her womb. He held her legs aloft and steered everything within
and out. She had but to surrender it all to him and he worked and wound until
she felt an erotic simmer deep within her belly. His hands never left her body,
ministering to every area within his grasp while she did the same.

As the beating pleasure within her burned to a boiling
ecstasy, she felt her body rise higher and higher to meet the part of him that
was fanning the flames. She bit her bottom lip in between her teeth and sucked
in a labored breath. It felt like a gush of intensity as it pushed from the
inner reaches of her stomach into every last inch of flesh on her body.

Brent’s body shuddered as he finished inside of her and
collapsed onto the soft pile of her sweat-dampened breasts. Her fingernails
went wearily into his hair and slowly massaged his head as she held him close
to her. This man could control her like no other, and if she hadn’t been sure
of it before, she knew then that he was the only man she would ever love.

They relaxed deeply into one another’s embrace until their
breaths steadied to a peaceful rhythm. For several minutes they lay like that,
drifting in untainted bliss. Mackenna cradled the entire weight of his body on
hers and sighed. It was the best feeling. Rick had always felt heavy and
awkward.

Brent’s face was full of emotion as he turned it to look up
at her. She smiled softly, her eyes burning bright as polished sapphires.

“I love you,” he said finally.

They were the sweetest words she’d ever heard, and as they
echoed through her ears she drifted off into a glowing sleep.

Brent watched her face light up before her eyelids fluttered
closed and his entire being filled with love. How could he have been so lucky
to have such a woman love him? He had not deserved it before, but he was
determined to spend the rest of his life earning it. If he could see her face
filled with sated desire and happiness every day, he would name it a success.

He slowly eased himself out of her arms and watched her
naked body resettle on its side, curling against the coldness that replaced his
body. His eyes raked her figure, lingering on the curves and full areas that
gave him the most pleasure and then he finally covered her up with a thick
blanket.

He went down the hall toward his bedroom to get some
clothes. Alora’s bedroom door was closed opposite his and he stared at it for a
moment. It was as though she were inside, sleeping like any other day. He knew
he needed to go in there, to sort through her things, but it would not be
today. His heart had stretched back and forth between despair and elation
enough for one day. Today, he would keep the door shut.

Mackenna awoke in a cocoon of plush warmth. Her body felt
soft and alive all at once and her cheeks flushed as she remembered their
lovemaking. The blanket covered the lower half of her face. When she opened her
eyes, Brent’s bare back was in view. He was sitting on the floor in front of
the couch, his legs crossed in between the circle of his arms. He had on a pair
of black jogging pants and nothing else. He was staring at the Christmas tree.

She ran her eyes over the tight muscles of his back, the
round bulges of his shoulders tapering into the smaller bulges of his arms.
God, he was beautiful. He looked like a sculpture. Quietly, she sat up,
clutching the blanket around her, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss in
between his shoulder blades. One of his hands reached around to massage the
back of her head and she went to the floor beside him.

He wrapped an arm around her and hugged her to him. When he
looked down at her his eyes were deep and sad.

“Anything I can do for you?” she asked quietly.

He sighed and returned his gaze to the tree, or rather what
lay beneath it.

“I was just wondering what to do with the gifts I bought my
mom,” he said.

Mackenna looked at the packages. Most of them were for Alora
from Brent, but there were two that were to Brent from his mother. She reached
out and picked one up, handing it to him. He held it as if it were fragile and
precious,
then
finally unwrapped it. Alora always
enclosed notes in her gifts to him, as if she needed to explain herself. As he
opened the square package, her note fell out along with a sealed envelope. He
picked up the paper and read it.

My darling boy,

I’ve held onto these
for almost my entire life. Many times before now I’d almost brought them out to
contribute to all of your hard work, but I decided against it. I wanted to wait
until you would get the most benefit from them. I hope that the coming year is
that time for you. For your sacrifice and endurance on my behalf, I give you
the gift of your life.

Your
Loving Mother

Mackenna read the note beside him and they exchanged curious
glances before he broke the seal on the envelope. Inside was a thick stack of
bonds of varying denominations, the least amount being fifty, the greatest
being a thousand. His eyes were wide as he counted out fifty notes. He had no
idea his mother was in possession of such wealth. He turned stunned eyes on
Mackenna.

“Wow,” she whispered and Brent shook his head in wonder.

“It’s almost as if she knew she was going to die,” he
said.
 

“Strange,” she mused.

“Makes me wonder what’s in the second box.”

He reached for it and removed the wrapping. The note fell
out and he leaned toward Mackenna so they could read it together.

I always thought that
when the day came for me to give up this particular item I would have a
difficult time with it, for it is very dear to me. It has brought joy to three
generations of my family. It gave me a great joy that others stole away, and so
I hid it from the world. But now the time has come for it to give joy once
again. Treat it as beautifully as you have treated me.

Mama

P.S. If you don’t know
what to do with this, I’m going to give you a sound thump on the head!

They chuckled at her postscript as Brent ran a finger
lovingly over her title. He set the paper down and opened the box. Inside was
another box. Inside it was another,
then
another until
only a small square box remained. He lifted the lid and saw a ring glinting
back at him. A polished gold band with filigree engraving housed a small round
sapphire. The stone was surrounded by tiny, freckle-sized diamonds. It had been
his mother’s wedding ring, and he had not seen it in almost ten years. He heard
Mackenna gasp beside him.

“That is gorgeous,” she breathed.

Brent looked from her to the ring and then reread the
postscript of his mother’s letter and smiled knowingly. He looked heavenward
and breathed a deep breath.

“It’ll go perfectly with the necklace I gave you,” he said
and she slowly lifted her eyes to his. Her smile faded into an unsure question,
her eyes searching his for the meaning behind his words.

“Marry me,” he whispered.