Nobody's Dream (77 page)

When they had returned home over an hour ago,
Mamá
took charge, and both of them were ushered into her meditation room. Her mother invoked the spirit of
Pachamama
, mother of
Mama
Quilla
and, indeed, the World Mother, to cleanse Cassie and her new husband. Cassie heard references to bringing them good luck and fertility, but chose not to interpret the incantations for Luke. It was best not to get his hopes up in case she was unable to perform her duties as his wife.

But Luke had risked his life to rescue her. She would never give her body as a means of repayment, but her gratitude to him left her feeling selfish not to honor him in this way. Her hand shook as she brushed her wet hair. These past few months, he had shown her in so many ways what a kind, gentle, patient man he was. He did not invade her space. Did not take advantage of her in vulnerable moments. He remained positive, supportive, and protective no matter what.

She blinked away the tears that had been on the surface since she had returned to her parents’ home. Plucking a tissue from the dispenser, she dabbed at her eyes and surveyed the damage in the bathroom mirror. Red and puffy. How alluring. Perhaps Luke would not even want to touch her tonight.

Cassie sighed and switched off the light as she opened the door. Luke was waiting for her. She couldn’t hide in here forever. How far would she be able to allow him to go tonight? The memories of her rape remained too vivid after being mauled by those men again.

Cassie took a deep breath and held her head high as she walked down the hallway to her bedroom.
Their
bedroom.

She opened the door and saw Luke stretched out in bed, a book in his hand. He had showered earlier and his hair was still damp against his neck. She couldn’t tell which book he read, but loved that he enjoyed reading in bed, too. That was something they could do together when they returned home. Seeing him lying there seemingly not anxious to do anything of a sexual nature, despite the fact this was their wedding night, also eased her stress.

She shed her robe and draped it over the footboard as she darted under the coverlet. She would keep her nightgown firmly in place. “Good night, Luke. Thank you again for everything today.”

“How are you feeling, darlin’?” He set the book aside and reached out to stroke her cheek. “I’m worried about you after what happened tonight.”

Oh, Luke. Always so in tune with her.

“I am better. The wedding was so beautiful. I am trying to focus on that, not what happened after.”

His hand traced a path down her arm. His touch was light and comforting, but was he claiming what was his? Gooseflesh rose on her arm under her sleeve. Her heart pounded, robbing her of breath. She could not relax at his touch but felt…

Anything but fear. Nothing in Luke’s demeanor or touch frightened her. She trusted him to cherish her and do no harm.

“I like how you are touching me, Luke.” She should at least give him feedback on the touches that she did enjoy. Perhaps having her clothing on made it feel safer.

His hand stilled momentarily before resuming its exploration back up her arm and across her shoulder and collarbone. “You don’t know how much I like touching you. You sure smell pretty tonight.”

She grinned. “
Mamá’s
angel trumpet soap.”

“No, it’s the essence of Cassie.” He bent toward her to brush his lips against her temple. “I love you, Sweet Pea.”

“I love you, too, Luke.” Each time she said the words, they became easier. But fears of disappointing him if she could not show that love physically left her worried. “What if I cannot—”

His fingers against her lips silenced her. “We’ve spoken our vows. Those are the only promises I needed to hear. We’re going to take this relationship slowly—one touch at a time. If I go too fast, remember your safeword.”

She giggled. “Pickle?”

“Well, you can choose any word you want, as long as you tell me ahead of time. That one was just to break the ice and lighten the mood.”

She smiled, imagining she would need that every time they embarked on an intimacy session. “Pickle will be fine.” She met his gaze, seeing the love shining in the reading light from the headboard. “You make me feel so special.”

Cherished.

Honored.

Loved.

“You’re the most special person in the world to me, darlin’.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, unsure if she should say it. But he asked for honesty. “What if I cannot respond to a man’s touch again?”

“You just let me keep touching you and we’ll see where this goes.”

“T-touching my private areas?”

Luke chuckled. “Let’s start slowly. Arms, head and neck, legs—thighs and
below
.”

“I can do that.” If he did not touch her breasts or more sexual places, what harm could be done? Cassie nodded.

“Think of this as being two teenagers exploring each other’s bodies for the first time. No sex. Just touch.”

The tip of his finger traced an imaginary line down her right arm and then moved slowly up again. She shivered, surprised at the catch in her breath. He had only touched her arm, so why was she feeling so—

Her nipples peaked and Cassie moved quickly to hide her chest from his gaze. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

“Darlin’, when a wife responds to the touch of her husband, it’s never bad or dirty. It’s just damned hot. Lower your arms. I won’t touch, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see the effect my touch has on you.”

Breathe, Cassie.

She lowered her arms to her sides and let him continue to touch her. Surprisingly, her body responded to his touch. He had turned her from someone totally shut down to someone who wanted…

Wanted…

More.

Her legs trembled, and suddenly nervous about being a disappointment to him, Cassie curled over on her side, away from Luke, hoping he would stop igniting her body.

Undeterred, he kept stroking her arm. Up and down in slow, tantalizing strokes. He lifted her hair and his lips pressed against the nape of her neck above the collar of her gown. She shivered, goose bumps breaking out on her arms. She clamped her legs more tightly together. Even though he had not touched her there, the juncture between her legs tingled as if he had.

Luke molded his hard body against hers. His erection pressed against her bottom and she moved away.

“I do not think I can do this!” How could she be afraid of letting go the way he wanted her to?

His firm hand on her upper arm halted her escape. “Shhh. You don’t have to do anything. I’m just going to hold you. Touch you. Just the way we agreed.”

Had she agreed to respond like this? She could not remember. He had said something about touching her arms and legs but she had no idea his touch could be so…powerful.

Or feel so…right.

His hand moved to hers and his thumb made featherlike circles on the inside of her wrist, sending jolts of electricity throughout her body. How could a simple, non-sexual touch to her wrist be so…erotic? Places she had not acknowledged existing for years also sparked to life.

Cassie leaned back against him, giving Luke better access to her arm, her wrist, but Luke pulled away and knelt on the bed. Before she could guess what he had planned, he pushed the coverlet down, exposing her body. Why did she feel so naked when she was covered from neck to ankles? Without a word of explanation or warning, he crawled down the bed to her knees.

“Lie on your stomach.”

She hesitated a moment, but her backside felt less vulnerable than her front so she soon complied, resting her face on the pillow turning away so he could not see her response. The material of her gown skimmed along her calves, baring them to his gaze. The exposed skin burned as if touched by his hand, but only the cloth had made contact with it.

When her knees were bare, he stopped moving the garment and she relaxed again—until he kissed the back of her left knee. Cassie jerked her knee away. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled. “Kissing my wife’s body—so I can make her jump like that.”

“Why would you want me to jerk away like that?”

His fingertip traced a circle on the back of the knee where he had kissed her and gooseflesh rose there, as well. “Because having you respond to me is just about the sexiest thing I can imagine at the moment.”

Sexy? “I am
not
sexy.” The breathy tone in her voice made it sound as if it had come from someone else entirely. She wore a nightgown covering most of her body and yet his words made her feel desired, sensual, sexual.

Breathe, Cassie.

Luke’s touch grew firmer as he massaged her calves, moving lower. His hands eased away the tension in her left one first, then the right. Who knew she held tension in her legs? He moved lower to her foot. Bending her leg, he drew her foot closer to him, and his thumbs massaged the ball of her left foot.

“Mmmmm.”

Had she just moaned? The involuntary sound hung in the air.

*     *     *

“Ticklish, darlin’?”

“I did not think so.”

We’re fixin’ to find out.

He brushed his lips along her instep, and she jerked her leg away. Luke tamped down the urge to chuckle. So damned responsive. Wanting his kiss to linger, he moved to her right foot and massaged her instep with his thumbs. When he placed a kiss on this one, she jerked a little but quickly relaxed into his hands.

Man, he loved her dainty feet.

“Good girl.” Her control of her responses told him she would have good discipline if they ever tried anything kinky. His cock stirred as he thought about restraining her with rope.

Slow down, Denton. You have a lot of ground to cover first.

Such a dainty foot. Yeah, he did have a thing for her feet. He grinned.

You’re a goner, man.

They had the rest of their lives to explore each other’s bodies, too. Although they’d been legally married for two months, he didn’t think she considered herself truly married until today. This was the first time she’d surrendered herself to his touch.

The exhaustion from tonight’s events ebbed away when he looked up a little while ago to see her standing in the doorway, her curves silhouetted by the hallway light. They wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight.

Her level of trust had ramped up, too, during this trip. Maybe with the threat of those bastards behind her, some lasting healing could start. He flexed his hand. He never thought himself capable of killing another living thing, but tonight he would have killed Pedro—and the others, too, if need be.

When he pressed his thumbs into the ball of this foot, she moaned again.

That’s my girl.

Emboldened, he laid her foot down and raked his fingers past her ankles and over her calves. Goose bumps sprang up. Her tiny gasp told him he’d surprised her. Well, he planned to spend the rest of his life bringing surprises like that into Cassie’s life.

He kneaded her calves again on the way back up, but she was much less tense now. He spent a good fifteen minutes on one before doing the same with the other. Realizing he hadn’t heard anything from her in a while, he glanced up. Her eyes were closed.

“Cassie? You doing okay, darlin’?”

No response. He placed one hand on either side of her body and leaned over her. Her chest rose and fell with her shallow, rhythmic breaths.
Asleep?
Was she kidding?

Luke sat back on his heels and shook his head before a wide grin spread across his face. That his bride trusted him enough to fall asleep while he touched her body spoke volumes. He stretched out on the bed beside her, lying on his back as he stared at the ceiling. It was going to be another long, frustrating night.

Oh, what the hell?
He rolled onto his side and pulled Cassie toward him, half expecting her to wake up and halfway acknowledge his presence. Instead she sighed and the corners of her mouth curled slightly.

He bent down and placed a kiss on her lips before reaching for the covers. Tonight he would have Cassie in his arms. Nothing else mattered but holding her as close to his body as he could. So he did.

“Goodnight, sweet bride of mine.”

*     *     *

Cassie dreamt she was cocooned like a butterfly sprite and then emerged into the light of a new day, her wings fluttering as she tested them for the first time. The steady beat of a drum encouraged her to break free of the bonds of earth and fly.

Free.

As the fog of sleep lifted, she found her cheek resting against Luke’s chest. Their legs were entangled in a suggestive way and her gown had ridden high on her thighs. She pulled away to adjust it, but Luke protested in his sleep and tightened his arm around her body, holding her closer.

An instant of panic melted away as she reminded herself this was her husband.
I trust him.
Luke had never done anything to take advantage of that trust. Rather than returning to her cocoon, she decided to relish in the euphoria she had experienced in the dream.

Had she finally broken free of the past? Reclaimed her power?

Goddess, please make it so.

Cassie was abundantly tired of having to be on guard every moment of the day. Five years of living that way had exhausted her and turned her into a person even she did not want to spend time with. Why had Luke put up with her months of constantly pushing him away and distancing herself from him?

Such a patient man.

He must see something in her that he wanted, unless he was merely the type of person always rescuing the lost. Luke’s empathy for wounded creatures whose spirits had been shattered was one of the first things that endeared him to her. She had seen it in how he treated his horses. Even the dog and puppies they found at the cabin. She couldn’t wait to check on them when they returned home.

But she had also experienced it in the way he nurtured and cared for her.

Last night, his touch had been so innocent, and yet her mind and body twisted it into something carnal. Parts of her body she did not know existed throbbed, ached for his touch. Even now, hours later. She wanted a man’s touch for the first time since…