Payton's Woman (21 page)

He moved backwards until
his legs bumped the side of the bed. Sitting on the edge, he twisted around on
the narrow mattress so he could lie back. He pulled her with him so her body
covered his.

“Julia, my angel,” he
said in a hoarse whisper, “before we go any further, are you certain this is
what you want?”

When she looked at him,
he saw her incredibly-colored eyes glazed over with passion, and her delicately-outlined
lips flushed from his kisses. She nodded slowly, as if incapable of speech.

“Tell me,” he demanded. “I
want to hear you say the words.”

She pushed against his
chest until she sat upright. Her long legs straddled his body. “I want you,
Payton. And I don’t care if you think I’m too bold. Nothing is going to make me
change my mind about having you.”

Her fingers fumbled with
the fasteners on his shirt until, out of frustration, she ripped open his shirt.
The jet black studs flew across the room and bounced onto the hardwood floor. She
stroked her hands over the contours of his muscular chest. Her fingers threaded
through the crisp mat of dark hair.

His eyelids fluttered when
her warm hands caressed his skin. He sucked in his breath as her touch stroked
his desire to the edge. “You’re right. No power on earth could alter us from
this course, save for one. A promise I made myself that I wouldn’t lie with you
until after you were my wife.”

Her hands stilled their
movement on his chest. For a moment, she gazed at him without speaking. “That’s
one promise you won’t be able to keep.” She bent over him and placed a kiss on
his bare chest. “I’m not about to move so you can go in search of a preacher.”

“I don’t have to go
anywhere. As captain of a ship, I have the power to legally perform marriages. Just
say
I do,
and you’ll be my wife. I’ll fill in the documents later.”

Her body stilled. Her
mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.

He held his breath and
waited. Had he gone too far? Did he ask too much? If she refused him, he didn’t
know what he would do. He still wanted her. If she wouldn’t marry him, would he
break his oath and make love to her regardless?

When she remained
silent, he pressed further with his cause.

“I’ll say it first. I,
Payton Tyler, take thee as my wife—”

“Don’t.” She pressed her
fingertips against his lips. Her eyes clouded over with tears

He pulled her hand away.
“I want you, Julia Anderson. And I know you want me. But I won’t have you as
though you were just another woman to ease my lust.”

“Oh, Payton. How can we
marry? Everything is so complicated.”

He wiped at the tear sliding
down her cheek. “I realize we have some obstacles to overcome—a few of them
big, but nothing will ever be so great that it will come between us.”

“You have no idea what
sort of obstacles.”

He pulled her down onto
his chest. His hands smoothed over her back.

“Nothing will ever come
between us,” he repeated. “I won’t try to pry your secrets from you. If you
ever feel the need, you can tell me when you’re ready. In the meantime, just say
that you’ll be my wife.”

Her head nuzzled against
the side of his. Her lips brushed close to his ear. “I will.”

His fingers threaded through
her hair. He pushed her blonde tresses over her shoulder so he could see her
face. “I pronounce us husband and wife.”

“There’s something I
have to tell you now so we don’t start our marriage with a lie.” She looked
directly into his eyes. “I promise to cherish you and honor you, but I may not
always be able to obey you.”

He laughed a quiet
rumbling noise. “Fair enough. Now let’s seal this bargain with a kiss.”

Chapter Nineteen

Payton threaded his
fingers through her long, honey-blonde hair. As his hand cupped the back of her
head, he pulled her to him. His lips parted, and his mouth covered hers. The
kiss deepened when he turned her head. He brushed his tongue across her lips
and into her mouth. Over and over he stroked the velvety surface and twined
around hers to feel the silky smoothness of the underside.

Her breasts, still
covered by the nightgown, pressed against his chest. Her legs straddled his
body, and her bottom rubbed against his throbbing, aching arousal. His tongue
retreated and he ended kiss. He pulled her back to gaze at her face.

The moistness on her
lips glistened from the flickering candlelight. Her incredibly colored eyes
sparkled with her growing passion.

He grabbed at the edge
of her nightgown and gathered up the fullness of the material. He pulled the
flimsy gown from her body. The white cloth floated to the floor as he flung it
away from them.

When she crossed her
arms over her breasts, he pried her hands from her body. His fingers entwined
with hers. He pulled her to him and turned on the bed until he lay on top of her.

With their fingers still
threaded together, he forced her hands over her head and pressed them into the pillow.
His mouth brushed across her cheek and down her neck while his teeth nipped at
her skin. He blazed a trail of hot, moist kisses across her collar bone and over
her breast. When he reached her nipple, he licked and sucked at the taunt peak.

“Let go of my hands.” Her
voice sounded like a ragged plea.

“I don’t want you to
hide yourself from me.”

“I won’t. I want to
uncover you.”

He released her hands.
She slipped her fingers beneath his opened shirt and slid the material down his
arms. He crawled from the bed and removed the remainder of his clothing. When
he returned to her, he lay beside her. His hand skimmed up her leg to the inside
of her thigh.

Her legs moved farther
apart, exposing herself to him. His fingers slid across her sleek, hot flesh.
Her hips arched upward. Her body trembled. She called his name as he continued
to stroke his fingers over her moist flesh.

“Aye, my love, say my
name. It’s like a song coming off your lips.”

He watched her body shudder
and twist in his arms with the pleasure he gave her. He wanted to crawl over
her and thrust inside, but feared her enjoyment would cease. She had never been
with a man before, of that he felt certain. That meant their coupling would
cause her pain, even bleeding. He wished he knew of a way to prevent her
discomfort with their joining.

“Julia, my sweet bride,
I want to make this good for you because I know it’s your first time. But I’ve
never been with a virgin before, and I’m not exactly certain what to do.”

She blinked. Her mind
seemed to focus on his words. Her blonde eyebrows knitted closer together. “Then
we might have a serious problem because I’m not sure what to do either.”

His mouth curved into a
smile. He kissed at the creases on her forehead. “I think between the two of
us, we might be able to figure it out.”

He slipped his arm under
her body and pulled her farther onto the narrow bed so her head rested upon the
pillow. “You look so beautiful lying here on these white bed sheets. You bring
to mind an angel resting on a cloud. I’m glad you didn’t want me to put out the
light.”

Her eyes opened wide. “Are
we supposed to put out the light?”

A growl of pleasure was
his only response as he licked his tongue across her breasts.

“I don’t want it out
either,” she said. “I like looking at you. Your body is so muscular and strong.
I’ve never seen any man who looks as marvelous as you. In fact, I’ve never seen
any man without his clothes.”

When he realized what
she meant, he rolled off her and allowed her to gaze upon him.

“Do you have any
knowledge of what men and women do when they make love?”

She chewed at her lower
lip. Her hand slid down his chest and over the rippled muscles of his belly. Her
fingertips lingered near his navel. She motioned with a tiny flick of her
finger to the area that drew her attention. “It has something to do with this
part of the body.”

She looked up at his
face, as if waiting to see if he’d object. When he didn’t, her gaze returned to
where her hand rested. Her fingertips stroked lightly over the length of his
hardened flesh.

Her gentle caress caused
him to tighten his body. An involuntary spasm made his throbbing flesh jerk
beneath her touch. She pulled her hand away and looked at him. Surprise showed
on her face.

“You didn’t hurt me.”

Her fingers returned to
glide over him, but after a brief moment, he pulled her hand away.

“That’s enough for now. This
night is for you.”

She slipped her leg over
his belly and pulled at his hips until he faced her on the narrow bed. Her moist
heat pressed against him. “Is this how we’ll fit together?”

“Aye, but not just yet,”
he ground out. “I want you to feel pleasure before I give you pain.” He pushed
her onto her back. His knee slid between her thighs as he nudged her legs
apart.

Her hand slid around his
neck. She threaded her fingers through his thick, dark hair. Her other hand stroked
up his leg, and her fingertips pressed into the muscular flesh.

His mouth descended on
her breast, and his lips tugged at her nipple. She gasped when his hand slid
between her thighs. Her back arched, and her hips lifted as he stroked his
fingers over her tender flesh.

She closed her eyes, and
the pleasure intensified. Her blood warmed, and heat surged through her veins.
Her breath came into her lungs in shallow gulps and rushed out as broken moans.

His fingers stroked
harder on her flesh. His mouth sucked more vigorously at her breast. Her
muscles tightened, and her body turned ridged as the pleasure intensified. She felt
poised on the brink of excitement she’d never known possible.

“Payton,” she cried out.
Her body trembled as a coil of heat unraveled in her center. She squeezed her
eyes shut as spasms of pleasure ripped through her body. Wave after wave washed
over her until she could longer move, no longer breathe. She grabbed at his
hand. “Enough,” she begged.

He moved over her while
placing kisses on her lips and cheek. She curled her legs around him until he
lay cradled between her thighs. His hardened flesh pressed against her sensitive
skin.

His mouth brushed close
to her ear. His warm breath flowed over her neck. “You feel so good,” he said,
his voice a strained whisper, “but you’re so snug and tight that I’m afraid I’ll
hurt you.”

Sanity returned to her
in small degrees. She brushed her hand across her face in an effort to clear
her mind. Her mother had spoken to her of this. She tried to recall her words.

“It’s only supposed to
hurt the first time.” She slipped her arms around his body. “So let’s do it,
and be done with it.”

He complied with her
request. Gently, he pressed into her. He retreated slightly only to thrust
again. He pulled back once more and thrust deeper, harder.

Her body stiffened, and
she cried out in pain. She grabbed at his shoulders and dug her fingertips into
his flesh.

He hovered over her motionlessly
with his body resting on his arms.

Slowly, she released her
breath. Her muscles relaxed, and she settled back onto the mattress. “That wasn’t
so bad.”

She took another deep breath
and let it out with a rush. Her mind cleared. Her senses sharpened. Suddenly,
she became aware of where they were and the people in the house below.

“I’m glad we got this
over with. You had better leave now before someone comes up here to see what
all the noise was about.”

“You’re such a joker.” Gentle
laughter rumbled in his chest.

“What do you mean?”

“That wasn’t the end. It
was only the beginning.”

Puzzled, she glanced at
his face. Love making was so new. The entire process mystified her. She chewed
at her bottom lip as her curiosity grew. “What more is there?”

“Since you asked...” The
smile on his face vanished. His forehead winkled with concern. “But first, how
do you feel? Do you still hurt?”

The pain she’d
experience a moment ago had receded. She felt him buried inside her. Her hips
lifted to him. His hardened flesh throbbed deep within her.

“That feels good,” she
murmured. She lifted against him once more.

Gently, he thrust into
her as she rocked toward him. His hips moved to the motion hers had set. His
thrusts grew harder, his strokes deeper. Again and again he stroked into her as
she rose up to meet him.

Every muscle in her body
tightened. Her hands slid down his back to his hips. Her fingertips pressed
into the firm, hard muscles of his backside. She pulled at him each time he
thrust into her.

He slipped his hand
between their bodies and caressed the swollen bud hidden in her tender flesh. She
cried out his name just as her body burst into fire. Flames of ecstasy licked
over her and rocked her body until her mind turned senseless.

A heavy groan and
muffled swear words mingled in his mouth before spilling from his lips. His
body collapsed on top of her for a brief moment before he rolled onto his side
and pulled her with him.

She snuggled closer to
him. Her leg curled over his thigh, and she stroked her hand across his muscular
chest. Her forehead rested against his neck with her lips pressed against the
smooth skin at the base of his throat. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she
basked in the afterglow, for she lay wrapped in the arms of the man she loved.

****

Payton cuddled her close
beside him with his elbow propped on the pillow and his fist supporting his
head. He rested his upper leg across her thighs as though to hold her down so
she couldn’t leave. With his other hand, he stroked the outline of her collar
bone.

“You failed to keep your
secrets hidden from me,” he said as he leaned closer to her ear.