Chaste (McCullough Mountain) (38 page)

“This
one’s my favorite,” he said as he handed her another.

Drawing
in a slow breath, her lips parted. It was her, eyes wide, mouth slightly open,
and his hand cupping her jaw, his thumb pressing into her lower lip as though
dragging it across her soft flesh. There was something incredibly intimate
about the close up, something in her eyes akin to awe or wonder.

“That
was the moment after your first kiss. I remember thinking, my God she’s the
most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, so innocent, so pure. I don’t think I’ve
ever felt the need to protect a woman from myself so badly. I wanted you in a
way I never wanted anything before. Desperately. Frighteningly. You took my
breath away.”

She
swallowed. “Oh, Kelly…”

“I
drew you a lot when we were apart. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. There’s
more.”

“Every
one is its own masterpiece. You make me more beautiful on paper than I am in
real life.”

“No.
I don’t embellish. This is how I see you. You’re perfect.”

She
didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t even braid hair neatly. He’d captured
life and turned it into works of art. “I want to see you do it. Draw something
for me.”

“I’ll
draw you. Will you sit for me?”

She
looked down at her damp clothes and imagined her sloppy hair. “I’m a mess.”

“You’re
beautiful. Please.”

“Okay.”
She stood as he gathered the drawings scattered over the floor. “Where should I
sit?”

Closing
the portfolio, he walked it to the corner and dragged back a wooden chair that
matched the ones in the pub. He placed it a few feet from the wall and carried
a lamp over, casting it in a dome of soft golden light.

He
reached for her and she stepped close. “Will... Will you let me draw you nude?”

Her
eyes widened.

“Never
mind,” he quickly said. “That was stupid. Have a seat in the chair and I’ll be
right back. My coal’s in the kitchen.”

* * * *

Kelly
rummaged through his toolbox for his satchel with his art supplies. He was a
ball of nerves, but couldn’t stop smiling. Never before had he shown another
person his work. Sharing it with Ashlynn was scary. At first he thought he’d
made a huge mistake bringing her here, but then he realized it was right.

She
liked his work and that made him feel a certain sort of pride he wasn’t
familiar with. Lifting the tarp, he stepped back in the living area and said,
“If you have to use
 
the—”

All
words cut off as he stared at the woman before him.
Holy. Shit
.

“I
didn’t know how you wanted me.”

Ashlynn.
Ashlynn naked. Ashlynn naked and in his place. This was his future wife? No. He
wasn’t that lucky.

Her
face flushed and she ducked her head. Swallowing roughly, he tried to form
words. Nope. No words. His brain was mush and his cock was hard as a rock.
“You’re… naked.”

She
bit her lip. “That’s what you wanted, right?”

“Yeah,
but…” He was a fucking moron. How the hell was he supposed to draw when the
woman of his darkest fantasies was standing there naked showing him everything
he dreamed of for the past several months? But not only that, the reality
trumped all.
My God, she’s perfect.

“Should
I put my clothes back on?” Her lashes fluttered and her movements turned jerky.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m not—”

He
caught her wrist. “Stop.”

She
stilled and peeked up at him through glassy eyes.

His
chest tightened. “Why are you upset?”

Her
throat worked as she met his gaze. “No one’s ever seen me like this.” She
looked down at her breasts, which were full and tipped in the palest pink. She
was all smooth lines and flawless grace. “I don’t know how to act.”

“Don’t
act. Never act in front of me. You’re incredible.” He released her arm and
stepped back. His throat was dry and his eyes could no longer afford to blink.
He didn’t want to miss a single instant. She was the most beautiful woman he’d
ever seen—and there had been
a lot
. None compared.

“Have
a seat on the chair,” he rasped. She stepped to the chair and stilled when he
said, “Wait!” Quickly grabbing a towel, he draped it over the seat. “It’s
probably cold.”

She
nodded and sat sideways on the chair. He admired her body as she fidgeted,
trying to find a place to rest her hands.

“Here,
turn like this…” Being careful to barely touch her, he directed her body. Her
ankles remained close where her feet rested on the ground. Her spine curled as
he pulled her forearms to the back of the chair. “Rest your cheek on your arms
and relax.”

He
went to the floor and got situated. Her body twisted in a long line. His
fingers scrambled for his charcoal and he drew the long line of her spine,
curving out the slope of her ass. Throughout his life, he’d done a thousand
sketches, but never had his heart raced so wildly as it did now. His fingers
trembled as each dark shadow took shape on the canvas.

His
hand dragged over the page, his thumb sweeping over each line and blending it
to life. Her eyes remained on him as he worked and soon he had her figure shaped.
The peek of her nipple beneath her arm tipped out just beside the gentle slope
of her ribs. She was utter perfection.

Neither
of them spoke as he worked and the longer he drew her, the longer his eyes
combed over her body, the harder he got. When he was finally finished, he blew
off the sprinkle of dark dust and shook out the paper. “Finished.”

Her
mouth formed a tight grin. “I don’t know if I want to see that one.”

“Why?”

She
shrugged. “No one really likes seeing themselves naked.”

“You
should. You’re lovely.”

Her
cheeks flushed beyond what they’d been in the past hour. She turned and
demurely covered herself with the towel. Kelly stood and tucked the picture in
his portfolio. “Will you stay here with me tonight?”

She
reached for the blanket draped over the couch and held it to her front.
“Where?”

“I
can make a bed on the floor. I have more blankets.” Her eyes told a thousand
stories, asked a million questions.

“Just
sleep?”

“Just
sleep.”

“Then
yes.”

He
shut out the lamp and tossed the cushions off the couch and onto the floor.
Laying out a blanket, he considered his clothing. Her clothes were draped over
the back of the sofa, drying. His were still damp, but he was afraid what would
happen if he took them off. He kneeled on the makeshift bed and reached for her
hand.

Stepping
slowly, she lowered herself to the floor. “I never slept beside someone other
than my parents.”

“Can
we share the blanket?”

She
nodded and rested her head on the pillow. Lifting the blanket, she showed him a
glimpse of her body and he curled close. His hand reached out and hesitated a
breath away from her hip. Gliding over the contour of her side without making
contact, he simply took in all of her uncharted beauty.

Her
breath caught as she watched his slow progress. Nipples drawn into tight little
buds, his control nearly slipped, as he wanted nothing more than to pull one
perfect tip into his mouth. Peeking out just between the crease of her thighs
was the softest looking thatch of blond curls. Virginal. That’s what she was.

“Do
you want to touch me, Kelly?”

“You
have no idea,” he rasped. “But I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because
I won’t be able to stop.”

“What
if I don’t want you to stop?”

His
gaze jerked to hers. “Ashlynn. No.”

Her
lashes lowered and he worried he’d hurt her feelings. Tipping up her chin, he
said, “Two weeks. Two weeks and you’ll never be able to peel me off of you. But
I can’t until then. You’ve waited your whole life to do this right and I’ll be
damned if I’m the guy who ruins that for you.”

“But
we’ll be married.”

He
grinned. At least she trusted him enough to know he wouldn’t bolt if she gave
up the goods too soon. “Yes, love, we’ll be married, but I want you as my wife.
Not just because it’s important to you, but because you’re important to me.” He
kissed her nose—lips were too dangerous. “Now try to get some sleep.”

She
rolled to her other side and he snuggled up to her back. Jesus. The heat of her
body singed right through his clothes. He nestled his hips to her butt—

“Kelly—”

“Ignore
it.”

She
giggled and he pinched her ass. “Ouch!”

“Stop
thinking about it. You’ll only make it worse.”

“Does
it hurt?”

“At
the moment? I’ve had more comfortable days.”

“Do
you want me to put my clothes back on?”

“No.
Shh. Now go to sleep.”

She
giggled again and snuggled closer. He mentally groaned and as a distraction
tried to focus on math problems, namely how many excruciating minutes had to
pass to get through two weeks. It wasn’t helping.

Unsure
if she was asleep, he whispered, “Tell me a secret, love.”

She
shifted silently, her brown eyes blinking up at him under the shadows. “What do
you want to know?”

“Anything.
Something you never told anyone else.”

A
few moments passed, as she appeared to think. “When my mom died, happiness
changed.”

“What
do you mean?”

Her
voice was soft and her gaze drifted. “There were still happy times. Life is
happy and nothing stops time. But whenever something would happen, a birthday
or a milestone of some sort, my dad and I would smile and then there’d come
this pinch of sadness. It never goes away. It’s the reminder that she’s not
there.”

His
mind played over visions of his family. His eyes closed as he pictured his
mother. The woman came in dimensions because there weren’t words to describe
all that she encompassed. There were a lot of them, in the McCullough clan, but
his mother was the glue.

His
lips pressed to her forehead and he whispered, “I love you.”

She
snuggled closer and his arms held her tight. Shutting his eyes he did something
he hadn’t done in a long time. He prayed, silently thanking God for bringing
her into his life.

* * * *

Ashlynn
awoke in a bundle of warmth. Kelly’s body curled around hers, holding her tight.
His leg draped over her thigh and his arm was wedged beneath hers, his palm
cupping her breast. “Um, Kelly?”

“Mmmm…”
His hand squeezed.

“Oh
God.” She cleared her throat as he pressed his hips forward and poked her.
“Kelly?”

The
scruff of his jaw rubbed over her shoulder as warm lips pressed a kiss there.
“Ashlynn…” he mumbled. She wasn't sure if he was awake yet.

“Kelly?”

His
hips slowly bumped her again and a tightness formed in the pit of her stomach.
How many times would he wake her up like this once they were married? But it
wouldn’t be wrong then. There’d be no barrier of clothing, no reason to deny
their desire. She’d simply bare her body and he’d claim her.

A
heated rush bloomed in her chest. Dear Lord, she wanted that now. Her thighs
clenched and she pressed her backside into him. He was really aroused. Either
that or he was always that big. His hand tightened again and she moaned.

His
body tensed behind her. “Ashlynn?”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck.”
He scrambled off the floor and jumped to his feet. “Sorry.”

She
gathered the blanket to her chest. “It’s okay, Kelly.”

“Ah,
no it’s not. I got a situation. I’ll, uh… be right back.” He disappeared into
what she assumed was a bathroom. The moment she thought of a bathroom she had
to go. Crossing her legs she fidgeted and waited.

When
he didn’t emerge in the next several minutes, she went to the door and knocked.
“Kelly?”

“Be
right out!”

“Are
you okay?”

“Yeah.”
His voice sounded strained.

“Are
you sick? You don’t sound too well.”

He
hissed something then quickly said, “Don’t come in.”

She
frowned. “I wasn’t going to,” she mumbled then turned and said in a louder
voice, “Please hurry. I have to use the bathroom.”

Wandering
back to the couch she sat and bounced her knee. What was taking him so long?
She could use the bar bathroom, but wasn’t sure where he put the key. The sound
of rushing water was a relief but it also didn’t help matters. She went to the
door and knocked again, “Kelly, I really need to—”

The
door flew open. His face was flushed and his eyes shadowed in secrets. She
frowned. “Can I use the bathroom?”